Medical Xpress reports on new microdevice developed by UMaine, Jackson Lab
Medical Xpress published a University of Maine news release about a new microdevice developed by researchers at the University of Maine MicroInstruments and Systems Laboratory (MISL), in collaboration with The Jackson Laboratory. The new microfluidic tool reproduces in the laboratory the same physiochemical environment that instructs embryonic stem cells to develop into organized tissue. Using this device, the research team has successfully cultured a portion of a spinal cord on chip. During embryonic development, specific chemicals called morphogens direct stem cells to develop and organize into their appropriate tissues. Using the new microdevice to duplicate that spatial distribution of morphogens in the laboratory results in the same tissue organization, said UMaine professor Scott Collins.