Spinning Capillaries with Cotton Candy Machines

Feb-11-16 The sugary threads spun by a cotton candy machine have inspired a new method of creating lab-grown capillaries that could keep artificial organs alive.

The novel approach has been studied by Leon Bellan of Vanderbilt University for some time, ever since he noticed the similarities between the sugar threads and human capillaries, which are about the same size. Using a polymer called PNIPAM—or Poly (N-isopropylacrylamide)—and a machine very much like a cotton candy machine, the team spun the tiny threads and then submerged them in warm gelatin. After the gelatin set and cooled, the threads dissolved, resulting tiny tubes that could be filled with a growth nutrient and cells.

The team is now looking into ways to customize the process to create capillaries for different types of tissue, eventually offering a “toolbox” for creating artificial vasculature for a variety of organs.

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[GIZMAG.COM]
[NEWS.VANDERBILT.EDU]

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