Lab-Grown Bone Marrow Offers New Tool for Scientists

Researchers have created artificial human bone marrow in a test tube, and the resulting cells can be used to test new drugs more efficiently, study the human immune system, and potentially create an unlimited supply of blood.

Investigators from the University of Michigan (U-M; Ann Arbor, USA) and the University of Texas Medical Branch (Galveston, USA) performed the study. Dr. Nicholas Kotov, a professor in the U-M departments of chemical engineering; materials science and engineering; and biomedical engineering, and Dr. Joan Nichols, professor from the University of Texas Medical Branch, developed a three-dimensional (3D) scaffold with a set of specially designed pores needed to stimulate cellular activity. Moreover, by having it available in a test tube, it will be readily available to researchers who want to evaluation a new drug's effect on bone marrow.

"The geometrical perfection of the polymer molded by spheres is very essential for reproducibility of the drug tests and evaluation of potential drug candidates,” Dr. Kotov stated. "The scaffold for this work had to be designed from scratch closely mimicking real bone marrow because there are no suitable commercially products. Certain stem cells that are essential for immunity and blood production are able to grow, divide, and differentiate efficiently in these scaffolds due to the close similarity of the pores in the scaffold and the pores in actual bone marrow.”

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University of Michigan
University of Texas Medical Branch