Smitha Rao's Lab (IMAGE)
Caption
When spun in an electric field -- imagine a cotton candy machine -- the self-aligning cells follow the strand-and-pocket pattern of the underlying nanofibers. Rao's team, including lead author and PhD student Samerender Nagam Hanumantharao and masters student Carolynn Que, found that varying electric field strengths result in different pocket sizes. At 18 kilovolts, the magic happens and the fibers align just so. At 19 kilovolts, small pockets form, ideal for cardiac myoblasts. At 20 kilovolts, honeycombs of pockets expand in the fibers. Bone cells prefer the pockets formed at 21 kilovolts; dermal cells aren't picky, but especially like the spacious rooms that grow at 22 kilovolts.
Credit
Peter Zhu/Michigan Tech
Usage Restrictions
None
License
Licensed content