They study a new technique based on stem cells to make artificial organs
Researchers from the ibs.GRANADA and the UGR are working on the cellular capacity to produce biomaterials that can have great medical repercussions
A team of scientists from the research group TEC03-Tissue Engineering of the ibs.GRANADA and the Department of Histology of the University of Granada are investigating the capacity of most human cells to generate tissues by themselves, biomaterials that could be useful to manufacture vital organs in the laboratory.
The study focuses on taking advantage of the interaction of stem cells such as those of the umbilical cord, adipose tissue, dental pulp or bone marrow. Researchers have also worked with cartilage or skin.
“The objective is to take medical advantage of the biomaterial that the cells generate by themselves. We characterize each of the cells and their behavior under certain conditions to detail how the tissues they generate can be used”, explains Daniel Durand Herrera, a researcher at the UGR Department of Histology.
Advances for Organ Manufacturing
The cellular ability to produce biomaterials can have major medical implications.
"This gives us the opportunity to choose and establish a range of possibilities, to have a bank to manufacture a kidney, a liver or skin through the work of generating micro-tissues made by cells", details Durand Herrera.
At the moment, the different techniques that exist to generate and obtain these microtissues are diverse and have a number of advantages and disadvantages. "However, the technique we chose is precisely one that represents greater simplicity and low cost, in addition to allowing reproducibility and control over the microtissues generated, however there are still details to be perfected to achieve the large scale that is required," he explains. the principal investigator of this study.
Bibliographic reference:
Durand Herrera, Daniel. Generation and characterization of functional micro-tissues for their use in tissue engineering protocols. Granada: University of Granada, 2020. [http://hdl.handle.net/10481/
Durand-Herrera, D., Campos, F., Jaimes-Parra, BD et al. Wharton's jelly-derived mesenchymal cells as a new source for the generation of microtissues for tissue engineering applications. Histochem Cell Biol 150, 379-393 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/