Opposite Poles

Have you ever had this dream? Patients sitting outside your office waiting for their monthly infusion of stem cells. The polygel electrode of your next-gen skin rejuvenator not only replenishes the skin stem cell reserve but also removes any degraded cell fragments. Well, sit tight. This ‘fountain of youth’ technology may be just around the corner!

Like tiny crawling compass needles, whole living cells and cell fragments orient and move in response to electric fields – but in opposite directions, scientists at the University of California, Davis, have found.[1] This technology could open up new ways to safely and effectively deliver stem cells and remove unwanted cell fragments.

Cell Biology
Cell Biology (Photo credit: ex_magician)

Another study explores the usefulness of human in vitro models to understand the mechanisms of skin ageing.[2] They have successfully used UVA-irradiated dermal fibroblasts to investigate the anti-ageing effects of sargachromanol E isolated from a marine brown alga, Sargassum horneri.

References:

1. “Opposites attract: How cells and cell fragments move in electric fields.” 2013. 7 May. 2013 <http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=10540>

2. Kim, JA. “The chromene sargachromanol E inhibits ultraviolet A-induced …” 2012. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23278330>

Bell Eapen
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About Bell Eapen 247 Articles
Techie Dermatologist, Information Systems PhD, Supporter of Open-Source Software, Machine Learning and AI geek, loves cricket, Canadian wine and beer. [Resume]

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