Candyfloss provides a sweeter way to heal nerve injuries
Candyfloss is not normally seen in research laboratories. For Riyi Shi, associate professor of biomedical engineering at Purdue University, Indiana, it may soon help heal nerve injuries. Shi has used the fine sugar filaments, known as cotton candy in the US, to construct a scaffold of hollow polymer tubes to support natural nerve regrowth.Sugar, explains Shi, is used to create pores or voids in scaffolds to support new tissue growth. But for nerve scaffolds, you need very tiny tubes: "One day, Jianming Li, my graduate student, came up with the idea of using cotton candy. He noted that if we could coat the fibres with a water insoluble polymer, we could obtain tubes once the sugar dissolved." They heated sugar (sucrose) so it caramelised, then drew out sugar fibres. These were thinly coated in poly L-lactic acid (PLLA), a biomedical compatible polymer, and then the sugar core was dissolved.A nerve...
Read the whole article on The Guardian - Science
More from The Guardian - Science
Related
- Spun-sugar fibers spawn sweet technique for nerve repairThu, 26 Feb 2009, 14:50:13 EST
- Lab-grown nerves promote nerve regeneration after injuryThu, 19 Mar 2009, 17:50:10 EDT
- Engineer develops detergent to promote peripheral nerve healingTue, 10 Jun 2008, 11:56:37 EDT
- Bone marrow cells can heal nerves in diabetes modelWed, 4 Feb 2009, 13:57:40 EST
- Hope for restoring injured nervesThu, 22 Jan 2009, 14:43:56 EST