For the first time, scientists grew functional brain-like tissue without animal-derived coatings. The work was led by Iman Noshadi at the University of California, Riverside and the study appears in the Advanced Functional Materials journal. Prince David Okoro is the lead author.
The team uses polyethylene glycol, called PEG, and reshapes it into a porous, textured scaffold so donor brain cells can attach and grow. They flowed water, ethanol and PEG through nested glass capillaries and used a flash of light to lock the porous structure. The pores let oxygen and nutrients reach donated stem cells.
Difficult words
- functional — working or able to do its job
- tissue — group of similar cells in a body
- coating — thin layer on a surface for protectioncoatings
- polyethylene glycol — a common chemical used in many materials
- scaffold — a structure that supports cell growth
- porous — having many small holes that let things pass
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Why is it important that the tissue was grown without animal-derived coatings?
- How might a porous scaffold help stem cells grow?
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