Science & Technology
Scientists engineer first 'cyborg' tissue
By
T.K. RandallAugust 31, 2012 ·
12 comments
Image Credit: CC 2.0 Marcin Wichary
Researchers at Harvard University are blurring the lines between organic and electronic systems.
'Cyborg' tissue comprised of both organic material and electronics has been created in research that could one day lead to semi-organic implants, pacemakers and drug testing mechanisms. The material is produced using a nanowire scaffolding that is small and flexible enough to allow the organic tissue to grow around it.
"You could use these things to directly measure the effects of drugs in synthetically grown human tissue without ever having to test them in an actual human being," said research team colleague Daniel Kohane.
They beat like real heart cells, but the rat cardiomyocytes in a dish at Harvard University are different in one crucial way. Snaking through them are wires and transistors that spy on each cell's electrical impulses. In future, the wires might control their behaviour too.
Source:
New Scientist |
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