For this purpose, they use a hydrogel to create a stiffness-controlled scaffold for artificial brain tissue that furthermore stimulates the development of neurons. It has the same elasticity as cerebral tissue and has special adhesive molecules (synthetic adhesive molecule, called IKVAV) that promote neuronal fate and neurogenesis, said Dr. Salierno.
They have published their findings in the journal Stem Cell Reports.
Farrukh, A., Ortega, F., Fan, W., Marichal, N., Paez, J. I., Berninger, B., del Campo, A. & Salierno M. J. (2017): Bifunctional Hydrogels Containing the Laminin Motif IKVAV Promote Neurogenesis. Stem Cell Reports 9: 1–9. November 14, 2017 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stemcr.2017.09.002
Source and more information:
http://www.uni-mainz.de/presse/aktuell/2790_ENG_HTML.php
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Thursday, 02 November 2017 12:38
Elastic Hydrogel with adhesive molecule promotes Neurogenesis Featured
Researchers from the University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), Institute of Physiological Chemistry, led by Dr. Marcelo Salierno, have developed a promising technique be able to facilitate the differentiation of stem cells into neurons. This even enables to accelerate the maturation process.
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