Bone marrow in test tube offers new tool to researchers

A lab at the University of Michigan has created artificial human bone marrow in a test tube, and the end product can be used to test new drugs more efficiently, study the human immune system and potentially create an unlimited supply of blood.

Nicholas Kotov, a professor in the U-M departments of Chemical Engineering; Materials Science and Engineering; and Biomedical Engineering, and Joan Nichols, professor from the University of Texas Medical Branch, developed a 3-D scaffold with a set of specially designed pores needed to stimulate cellular activity. And by having it available in a test tube, it will be readily available to researchers who want to test a new drug's effect on bone marrow.

"The geometrical perfection of the polymer molded by spheres is very essential for reproducibility of the drug tests and evaluation of potential drug candidates," Kotov said. "The scaffold for this work had to be designed from scratch closely mimicking real bone marrow because there are no suitable commercially products. Certain stem cells that are essential for immunity and blood production are able to grow, divide and differentiate efficiently in these scaffolds due to the close similarity of the pores in the scaffold and the pores in actual bone marrow."

- here's the release
- read the report in PhysOrg

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