LIQUID CRYSTALS SHOW PROMISE IN CONTROLLING EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS

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LIQUID CRYSTALS SHOW PROMISE IN CONTROLLING EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS
06 March 2003 - University of Wisconsin-Madison

Liquid crystals, the same phase-shifting materials used to display information on cell phones, monitors and other electronic equipment, can also be used to report in real time on the differentiation of embryonic stem cells.

Differentiation is the process by which embryonic stem cells gradually turn into function-specific types of adult cells or so-called "cell lineages," including skin, heart or brain cells.

The main challenge facing stem cell research is that of guiding differentiation along these well-defined, controlled lineages. Stem cells grown in the laboratory tend to differentiate in an uncontrolled manner, resulting in a mixture of cells of little medical use.

Now, University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers at the NSF-funded Materials Research Science and Engineering Center have shown that by straining mechanically the cells as they grow, it is possible to reduce significantly and almost eliminate the uncontrolled differentiation of stem cells.

In an article in the March issue of Advanced Functional Materials, the team reports on a liquid crystal-based cell culture system that promises new ways of achieving real-time control over interactions between synthetic materials and human embryonic stem cells, including the possibility of straining embryonic stem cells as they grow.

"Stem cells tend to be smaller and have a slightly more compact shape than the differentiated cells," says chemical and biological engineer Sean Palecek. "Differentiated cells appear to be much more spread and they appear to exert different levels of force on the matrix in which they are grown. That force can be read to a liquid crystal. Through simple changes of liquid crystal texture and color, our cell culture system is able to report, in real time, the cell interactions with the underlying support on which they are grown."

Currently, researchers have several methods of monitoring cell differentiation. The easiest, says Palecek, is to just look at the cells and use cell morphology as a cue. A more accurate method uses molecular markers. Antibodies are placed against these markers to determine if they bind to the cell. That system, while more accurate, does not provide real time data and cells often have to be killed in order to analyze the markers.

"This newly devised cell culture system enables a new paradigm in stem cell research," says chemical and biological engineer and MRSEC Director Juan de Pablo. "Ultimately, we hope to use liquid crystalline materials to transmit desired sets of physical and chemical cues to stem cells so as to control their differentiation, as well as report back specific responses of the cells or tissue.

"This research is also significant as an example of our unique effort to integrate advanced materials engineering and embryonic stem cell research, an effort that will help accelerate the rate at which the benefits of stem-cell based therapies are brought to society," de Pablo adds.

In addition to Palecek and de Pablo, authors of the paper include former post-doctoral researcher Nathan Lockwood, graduate student Jeff Mohr, researcher Lin Ji, School of Veterinary Medicine (ophthalmology) and biomedical engineer Christopher Murphy, and chemical and biological engineer Nicholas Abbott.

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About: University of Wisconsin-Madison
In achievement and prestige, the University of Wisconsin-Madison has long been recognized as one of America’s great universities. A public, land-grant institution, UW-Madison offers a complete spectrum of liberal arts studies, professional programs and student activities. Many of its programs are hailed as world leaders in instruction, research and public service.

The university traces its roots to a clause in the Wisconsin Constitution, which decreed that the state should have a prominent public university. In 1848, Nelson Dewey, Wisconsin’s first governor, signed the act that formally created the university, and its first class, with 17 students, met in a Madison school building on February 5, 1849.

From those humble beginnings, the university has grown into a large, diverse community, with about 40,000 students enrolled each year. These students represent every state in the nation, as well as countries from around the globe, making for a truly international population.

UW-Madison is the oldest and largest campus in the University of Wisconsin System, a statewide network of 13 comprehensive universities, 13 freshman-sophomore transfer colleges and an extension service. One of two doctorate-granting universities in the system, UW-Madison’s specific mission is to provide "a learning environment in which faculty, staff and students can discover, examine critically, preserve and transmit the knowledge, wisdom and values that will help insure the survival of this and future generations and improve the quality of life for all."

The university achieves these ends through innovative programs of research, teaching and public service. Throughout its history, UW-Madison has sought to bring the power of learning into the daily lives of its students through innovations such as residential learning communities and service-learning opportunities. Students also participate freely in research, which has led to life-improving inventions from more fuel-efficient engines to cutting-edge genetic therapies.

Students, faculty and staff are motivated by a tradition known as the "Wisconsin Idea," described by UW President Charles Van Hise in 1904 as the compelling need to carry "the beneficent influence of the university ... to every home in the state." The Wisconsin Idea permeates the university’s work and helps forge close working relationships among university faculty and students and the state’s industries and government.

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