Researchers Attach Polymeric Patches to Cells
November 6, 2008 – 5:03 pm
MIT researchers have developed a technique to attach a tiny polymeric patch to immune cells.
Researchers at MIT have succeeded in attaching polymer-based patches to cells. Without interfering with the cell’s normal functions, the polymeric “backpacks” can be used to hold tiny amounts of cargo or to manipulate the cell’s movement with magnetic fields.
For the experiment, the researchers used B and T immune cells. “The idea is that we use cells as vectors to carry materials to tumors, infection sites or other tissue sites,” explains Darrell Irvine, an associate professor of materials science and engineering and biological engineering.
The potential applications of the research include loading the cellular backpacks with chemotherapeutic and imaging agents. The researchers also could use the cellular patches for tissue engineering, stacking them like bricks to eliminate the need for tissue scaffolds.
The patches also could be filled with magnetic nanoparticles, enabling the researchers to steer cells with a magnetic field.
Brian Buntz
Tags: B cell, Darell irvine, immune cells, MIT, nanoparticles, Nanotechnology and Microtechnology, T cell
