 |
|
Bio-engineering of blood vessels
April 16, 2002Blood vessel prostheses work best when the biochemical and mechanical properties match reality as much as possible and when they are made of biodegradable material. To this end tissue technologists grow natural vascular wall cells, endothelial cells, in a biodegradable tube made of collagen. According to Professor Istv'¡n Vermes tissue technologists are overly concerned with developing stem cells, necessary to build blood vessels, and not enough with the development of the vascular skeleton or scaffold, serving as a framework for those stem cells. During his address on the acceptance of the office of professor in the Molecular Aspects of Cell and Tissue Technology (on 11 april 2002) Vermes gave his vision on the bio-engineering of blood vessels. Besides professor at the University of Twente (The Netherlands) Vermes is doctor-clinical chemist and educator in the regional hospital Medisch Spectrum Twente in Enschede, and special professor in Laboratory Medicine at the Semmelweis Medical University in Budapest.
According to Vermes the key to successful development of artificial human tissue and organs lies in the structure and composition of the porous framework on which cells grow. "The traditional method starts with the development of a prosthesis made of artificial materials. I am concerned with bio-engineering a blood vessel, with biological materials as starting point. To this end we have to imitate all the natural functions of a vessel, including those of the scaffold with all functional biological materials such as growth factors. The skeleton has many more functions than just attaching and keeping cells together. It contains information in the shape of growth factors, cytokines and surface-properties for the growth and development of cells. The chemistry, the shape and way in which it moves under the influence of stress are of vital importance to influencing the behaviour of cells. The skeleton emits signals that are passed on to the inside of the cell via receptors on the cell surface.“ The future of the stem cell, how it develops or dies because of apoptosis, is dependent on the information coming from the vascular skeleton.
A blood vessel is built up, from the inside out, of six different layers of successively endothelial cells, elastic layers of among them smooth muscle cells with around them connective tissue with lymph vessels and nerves. Vermes: "Endothelial cells are important in translating changes in the blood through the production of materials that in turn take care of the balance between blood and the surrounding tissue. To understand the function of these cells in the blood vessel and for the production of the artificial vessel, we study this process by directing ourselves towards cell division (proliferation) and cell death (apoptosis) of endothelial cells." Vermes` strategy is to grow stem cells that differentiate themselves selectively to smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells, and developing a scaffold in the shape of a porous tube of biodegradable and flexible polymers. The stem cells are seeded in the skeleton in the presence of, among others, growth factors.
Twente, University of
Stem Cells News and Current Stem Cells Events RSSNC State Is First University in Nation to Offer Canine Bone Marrow Transplants
Dogs suffering from lymphoma will be able to receive the same type of medical treatment as their human counterparts, as North Carolina State University becomes the first university in the nation to offer canine bone marrow transplants in a clinical setting.
Hearing restoration may be possible with cochlear repair after transplant of human cord blood cells
According to an Italian research team publishing their findings in the current issue of Cell Transplantation (17:6), hearing loss due to cochlear damage may be repaired by transplantation of human umbilical cord hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) since they show that a small number migrated to the damaged cochlea and repaired sensory hair cells and neurons.
Cardiac cell transplant studies show promise in cardiac tissue repair
Two studies published in the current issue of CELL TRANSPLANTATION (17:6) examine the efficacy of transplanting bone marrow cells (BMCs) for the repair of heart tissue.
Stem cell research puts interstate rivalry on hold
Victoria and New South Wales have put aside their competitive interstate rivalry to collaborate on a stem cell research project, as announced by Innovation Minister Gavin Jennings and NSW Minister for Science and Medical Research, Verity Firth, today.
Blood vessel cells are instructed to form tube-like structures
How do blood vessel cells understand that they should organise themselves in tubes and not in layers? A research group from Uppsala University shows for the first time that a special type of "instructor" molecule is needed to accomplish this. These findings, published in the scientific journal Blood, might be an important step towards using stem cells to build new organs.
Antidepressants need new nerve cells to be effective, researchers find
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered in mice that the brain must create new nerve cells for either exercise or antidepressants to reduce depression-like behavior.
Antidepressants need new nerve cells to be effective, UT Southwestern researchers find
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered in mice that the brain must create new nerve cells for either exercise or antidepressants to reduce depression-like behavior.
Alcohol consumption can cause too much cell death, fetal abnormalities
The initial signs of fetal alcohol syndrome are slight but classic: facial malformations such as a flat and high upper lip, small eye openings and a short nose.
Carnegie Mellon MRI technology that non-invasively locates, quantifies specific cells in the body
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) isn't just for capturing detailed images of the body's anatomy. Thanks to novel imaging reagents and technology developed by Carnegie Mellon University scientist Eric Ahrens, MRI can be used to visualize - with "exquisite" specificity - cell populations of interest in the living body.
Bone marrow stem cells may help control inflammatory bowel disease
Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators have found that infusions of a particular bone marrow stem cell appeared to protect gastrointestinal tissue from autoimmune attack in a mouse model.
More Stem Cells News Articles
 | My Sister's Keeper: A Novel by Jodi Picoult New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult is widely acclaimed for her keen insights into the hearts and minds of real people. Now she tells the emotionally riveting story of a family torn apart by conflicting needs and a passionate love that triumphs over human weakness.Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots... |
 | Embryo: A Defense of Human Life by Robert P. George, Christopher Tollefsen The bitter national debates over abortion, euthanasia, and stem cell research have created an unbridgeable gap between religious groups and those who insist that faith-based views have no place in public policy. Religious conservatives are so adamantly opposed to stem cell research in particular that President Bush issued the first veto of his presidency over a bill that would have provided... |
 | The Oxygen Revolution: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy: The Groundbreaking New Treatment for Stroke, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Arthritis, Autism, Learning Disabilities and More by Paul G. Harch, Virginia Mccullough HOPE FOR MANY "HOPELESS" DISEASES, FROM ONE OF THE FOREMOST RESEARCHERS IN THE FIELDWhen Randy McCloy, Jr., the sole survivor of the Sago Mine disaster, finally walked out of the hospital to rejoin his family, it was in part due to the miracle of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is based on an almost laughably simple idea: Oxygen can be used therapeutically for a wide... |
 | Sex, Science, and Stem Cells by Diana DeGette In August 2001, President George W. Bush announced with fanfare that federal funds would be made available to scientists conducting research on human embryonic stem cell lines—with restrictions. Reading his words, not his lips, was Congresswoman Diana DeGette of Colorado’s First Congressional District, and what she read was this: a ban. “As a practical matter,” scientists... |
 | Miracle Stem Cell Heart Repair: (For Heart Attack, Heart Failure and Bypass Patients) by Christian Wilde |
 | Irreparable Harm by Randy D. Singer A fight for life. A battle for right.Attorney Mitchell Taylor is trapped in a lose-lose situation.Bright but inexperienced attorney Mitchell Taylor is torn between warring personal and professional interests. Can he help his client–a young surrogate mother–and save the child she carries without sealing the fate of others? The compelling answer lies in Randy Singer’s new legal... |
 | Fundamentals of the Stem Cell Debate: The Scientific, Religious, Ethical, and Political Issues Few recent advances in science have generated as much excitement and controversy as human embryonic stem cells. The potential of these cells to replace diseased or damaged cells in virtually every tissue of the body heralds the advent of an extraordinary new field of medicine. Controversy arises, however, because current techniques required to harvest stem cells involve the destruction of the... |
 | Essentials of Stem Cell Biology This abridged version of the bestselling reference Handbook of Stem Cells, Two-Volume Set attempts to incorporate all the essential subject matter of the original two-volume edition in a single volume. The material has been reworked in an accessible format suitable for students and general readers interested in following the latest advances in stem cells, including full color presentation... |
 | Bioethics as Practice (Studies in Social Medicine) by Judith Andre Those who work in bioethics and the medical humanities come from many different backgrounds, such as health care, philosophy, law, the social sciences, and religious studies. The work they do also varies widely: consulting on ethical issues in patient care, working with legislatures, dealing with the media, teaching, speaking, writing, and more. Writing as a participant in this field, Judith... |
 | The Stem Cell Controversy: Debating the Issues (Contemporary Issue Series) Stem cell research is headline news. Researchers are eager to move forward, state governments and private foundations are rushing to support it, and the sick and afflicted are desperate for its benefits. Yet powerful forces in our society—led by President George W. Bush—find it morally troubling and they are doing all in their powers to restrict its development beyond a very limited... |
| © 2008 BrightSurf.com |