Attractive new regenerative medicine tool that uses magnets to shape and stimulate stem cells
What would it have been like if we could develop embryoid bodies (EB) from individual embryonic stem cells (ESC) using technology? This could lead to the development of regenerative drugs and other therapies, which do not require an external support matrix as traditional regenerative technology does to create a coordinated assembly.
All of this is possible with a magnetic cell Legos. A technology developed by researchers at the Laboratoire Matiere et Systemes Complexes (CNRS / Universite Paris Diderot) is capable of combining cells with the help of magnetic nanoparticles and magnetized miniaturized magnets. To differentiate, you don’t need any support matrix. The best part about this technology is that you can develop any fabric and deform it at will.
A detailed view of the study has been detailed in Communications from nature. This tool infused with miniaturized magnets can be used as a great technology in the field of regenerative medicines and also in biophysical studies.
As the demand for nanotechnology is ever increasing to provide an unprecedented solution for diagnostics and regenerative therapy, we can feel its need in all areas of medicine and biosciences. Therefore, this finding is another milestone for the development of regenerative therapies or tissues without an external support matrix.
However, it is not feasible for scientists to use the matrix for the development of a cohesive and organized cellular assembly for the generation of tissues. This is what is a great challenge for them, especially when they have to work on the synthesis of large or thick organs or tissues. Or, sometimes the stimulation of these tissues is quite difficult, as they refuse to function properly unlike their counterpart’s cartilage.
Lego magnetic cell to the assistance of scientists
A new tool developed by scientists in France uses magnetized stem cells to alter and stimulate stem cells in 3D shapes. Through the use of external magnets, cells can be magnetized for differentiation, assembly, proliferation, and stimulation through the insertion of nanoparticles. In this way, these cells are turning into cellular magnetic Legos. Magnetic Legos work like a magnetic tissue stretcher, where moving magnets captivate the aggregate developed from the cells before the micro-magnet can attract magnetized cells for a second. The experimental tissues on the magnetic tray behave independently (say compression and stretch) influenced by the two actuated magnets.
The method of experiments
The first focus of the study was to measure the ability of magnetized cells to differentiate and proliferate in a similar way to stem cells, and also to remove the pluripotency feature in embryonic stem cells when embedded in nanoparticles. It aimed to develop the embryoid body by applying the embryonic stem cell differentiation process. We can call embryoid bodies as 3D clusters of pluripotent stem cells, which included three types of skin cells. The team further discovered that the nanoparticles do not affect the formation of embryoid bodies in the magnetic reamer.
To form embryoid bodies using magnetized cells, it has more effective results compared to the hanging drop method, where the embryoid bodies cannot proliferate properly.
The study also showed that the addition of nanoparticles to embryonic stem cells has no impact on their differentiation process. Simultaneously, the embryoid bodies could move towards the heart muscle on the magnetic table when stimulated by magnetic cells. Therefore, he showed that, in addition to living orgasmic cells, mechanical factors such as magnetic cells can also participate in the process of cell differentiation.
We can hope that by using this comprehensive technology, we can generate tissues by manipulating stem cells, or use it as a powerful method to enhance biophysical learning possibilities.