Biomedical researchers create artificial human bone marrow in a test tube
December 23, 2008 | Source: KurzweilAI
Artificial bone marrow that can continuously make red and white blood cells has been created in a University of Michigan lab.
The substance grows on a 3-D scaffold that mimics the tissues supporting bone marrow in the body. It can replicate blood stem cells and produce B cells, the key immune cells producing antibodies that are important to fighting many diseases.
Cancer-fighting chemotherapy drugs can strongly suppress bone marrow function, leaving the body more susceptible to infection. The new artificial marrow could allow researchers to test how a new drug at certain potencies would affect bone marrow function.
