WORLD
Capturing live cells with Nano-Pyramids
Baku, November 26 (AZERTAC). With nanotechnology, every day there are new and promising applications. Imagine a field of pyramids, but very small. So much so that each of the pyramids could hide a living cell.
This is the technology that Dutch researchers presented in the journal Small.
One of the possible applications of these micro-pyramids cell research is: with open walls of the pyramids, they can interact with each other.
Most studies of cells are 2-D: unnatural situation, since the cells are arranged differently. If we give to study cells in three-dimensional space to move, this is closer to what we find in nature. This is made possible with the pyramids at the Institute of Nanotechnology NanoLab TABLE + University of Twente.
If we add a number of flat surfaces of silicon, other materials can be deposited on them forming a set of micro-tetrahedra. The nanoscientists have explored the applicability of the pyramids as “cages” for cells.
The first experiments with polystyrene balls came out well. Subsequent capture involving chondrocytes, the cells that form cartilage. Moved by the capillary flow, these cells pyramid automatically fall through a hole in the bottom. Shortly after entering the cage 3-D, the cells begin to interact with other adjacent pyramids.
The changes in cell phenotype can be studied in this way better than the usual 2-D. It is therefore a promising tool for use in the investigation of tissue regeneration.
Scientists hope to develop extensions to this technology: the edges of the pyramid, for example, can be made to function as hollow fluid channels. Between the pyramids is also possible to create channels that could be used to feed the cells.