New! Sign up for our free email newsletter.
Science News
from research organizations

How nanotechnology can advance regenerative medicine

Date:
November 3, 2013
Source:
National Institute for Materials Science
Summary:
Nanotechnology may provide new strategies for regenerative medicine, including better tools to improve or restore damaged tissues.
Share:
FULL STORY

Nanotechnology may provide new strategies for regenerative medicine, including better tools to improve or restore damaged tissues, according to a review paper by Taiwanese researchers.

Published in the journal Science and Technology of Advanced Materials, the paper summarizes the current state of knowledge on nanotechnology with application to stem cell biology. (The term “nanotechnology” refers to the design, construction, generation and use of nanoscale (1-100 nm) structures or materials.)

Stem cells are considered an important potential source for repairing damaged human tissues. Researchers have found that the adhesion, growth, and differentiation of stem cells are likely controlled by their surrounding microenvironment, which contains both chemical and physical cues. These cues include the “nanotopography” of the complex extracellular matrix or architecture that forms a network for human tissues.

In their review paper, Yang-Kao Wang and colleagues describe studies showing how this nanotopography (which includes nanosized pores, grooves, ridges, etc.) plays important roles in the behaviour and fate of stem cells. The authors also discuss the application of nanoparticles to stem cell isolation, tracking and imaging; how to translate nanotechnology from two to three dimensions; and the potential limitations of using nanomaterials in stem cell biology.

The paper concludes that “understanding [the] interactions of nanomaterials with stem cells may provide knowledge applicable to [the development of improved] cell-scaffold combinations in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.”


Story Source:

Materials provided by National Institute for Materials Science. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. King-Chuen Wu, Ching-Li Tseng, Chi-Chang Wu, Feng-Chen Kao, Yuan-Kun Tu, Edmund C So, Yang-Kao Wang. Nanotechnology in the regulation of stem cell behavior. Science and Technology of Advanced Materials, 2013; 14 (5): 054401 DOI: 10.1088/1468-6996/14/5/054401

Cite This Page:

National Institute for Materials Science. "How nanotechnology can advance regenerative medicine." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 3 November 2013. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131103135722.htm>.
National Institute for Materials Science. (2013, November 3). How nanotechnology can advance regenerative medicine. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 18, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131103135722.htm
National Institute for Materials Science. "How nanotechnology can advance regenerative medicine." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131103135722.htm (accessed March 18, 2024).

Explore More

from ScienceDaily

RELATED STORIES