bbsrc: Stem cell bandages Bandages and band aids containing stem cells to help heal wounds are close
bbsrc:Stem cell bandages Bandages and band aids containing stem cells to help heal wounds are closer to reality after scientists found a way to keep stem cells alive atroom temperature. By encasing stem cells in a frogspawn-like gel made from aseaweed extract called alginate, scientists at Newcastle University can putthem inside bandages, which could be used to help speed up healing from ulcersor burns for example. The gel retains the cells so that they don’t leave thebandage – it’s the chemicals these cells make that actually do the healing.The low-cost discovery also has lots of other potentialapplications, because until now stem cells have had to be kept in specialisedconditions; at 37°C, in atmospheric oxygen and 5% carbon dioxide. Alginate is a natural material extracted from seaweed thatis used in cosmetics and food manufacturing and is already used in wounddressings, without stem cells, to keep burns moist. Read moreImages: Newcastle University -- source link
#swet dude