Building hollow organs from 'magnetic cells'

What is it about?

This work reports on a novel process for rapid and uniform seeding of cells onto the internal surface of large tubular constructs based on the use of magnetic nanoparticles. Fibroblasts - cells that build the structural framework of tissues - incubated with sugar-coated magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles, were directed onto the inner surface of tubular constructs by a magnetic field generated by a rotating array of magnets, resulting in tubular constructs similar to, for example, the small intestine. The described technique overcomes limitations associated with other existing cell-delivery techniques and is amenable to a variety of tubular organs where rapid loading and uniform distribution of cells for therapeutic applications are required.

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Why is it important?

Patients undergoing major surgery, mainly for removal large portions of organs or tissues, cannot be always offered with a tissue replacement to recover normal function. Developing protocols for 'growing and harvesting' different tissue types could represent a time- and resource-efficient method for organ replacement in a large population.

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