MIT Develops New Method to Fuse Embryonic Stem Cells With Adult Cells

MIT researchers can trap and fuse pairs of cells using this microchip. (Photo courtesy of MIT)

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a new way to fuse cells together into one hybrid cell, using a microchip to trap and fuse pairs of cells. As reported in the Science Daily, this new sorting method is expected to simplify the study of two combined cells. By fusing an adult cell with an embryonic stem cell, for instance, scientists can study the genetic reprogramming that occurs in such hybrids. The MIT engineers’ new technique can increase the rate of successful cell fusion from around 10 to about 50%, allowing thousands of cell pairing at one time.

Heading the group of researchers are Joel Voldman, associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science, and Rudolf Jaenisch, professor of biology and a member of the Whitehead Institute. According to Voldman, cell fusion techniques have been around for quite some time but there are many technical limitations in getting the right cells to pair up before fusing them. Previously, researchers had already trapped cells in tiny cups as they flow across a chip. The desired cell mixture would be an AB match. Just like in the MIT method, each cup can only hold two cells at a time. The problem was that you could not control whether the cups end up with an A and a B, two As, or two Bs. What the MIT team has done differently is that the cell-trapping cups on the new sorting device are arranged strategically to capture and pair up cells of different types, achieving the desired combination of cells. After the cells are paired, they can be joined by an electric pulse that fuses the cell membranes.

While this exciting new technique can help with studying stem cell reprogramming, it may also be used to study interactions between any types of cells in the future. In December, Jaenisch was honored for his research in cellular reprogramming. The MIT research project was funded by NASA and the National Institutes of Health.

Tags: Cell fusion, MIT