PatIntNews

Researchers at the University of Michigan, departments of Chemical Engineering; Materials Science and Engineering; and Biomedical Engineering, have created an artificial bone marrow. The material which they have used adheres on three-dimensional scaffold which imitate the tissues supporting bone marrow inside the body.

The lead scientist, Nicholas Kotov, a professor at the University claims that the procedure is simple which can be useful in pharmaceutical drug testing, studying immune system defects and a continuous supply of blood for transfusions.

Mostly, 3-D biomedical scaffolds are implanted in the human body, but this material is designed to function in a test tube.

According to Kotov, the first successful artificial bone marrow constitutes two essential functions which are responsible for the blood stem cells replication and B cells production. The B cells producing antibodies are important to combat many diseases.

The polymers were molded with tiny spheres ordered like billiard balls for developing the 3-D scaffolds. The transparent polymers were used in scaffolds development which would help nutrients to pass easily. The team then inserted these 3-D scaffolds with bone marrow stromal cells and osteoblasts.

To test, they implanted scaffold in mice to know whether the material behaves like real bone marrow for immune deficiencies or not. It was found that the mice produced human immune cells and blood vessels grew through the substance.

However, it was demonstrated by them that the artificial marrow produces a human-like response to an infectious New Caledonia/99/H1N1 flu virus which they claim is to be a first.