Researchers Direct Growth of Neurons With Silicon Nitride Microtubes 23
MTorrice writes: Bioengineers want to connect electronics and neurons to make devices such as new cochlear implants or prosthetic limbs with a seemingly natural sense of touch. They also could build synthetic neural circuitry to use to study how the brain processes information or what goes wrong in neurodegenerative diseases.
As a step toward these applications, a team of researchers has developed a way to direct the growth of axons, the connection-forming arms of neurons. They use transparent silicon nitride microtubes on glass slides to encourage the cells' axons to grow in specific directions. The cultured nerve cells grow aimlessly until they bump into one of the tubes. The axon then enters the tube, and its growth is accelerated 20-fold. Silicon nitride already is used in some orthopedic devices, and could serve as a substrate for electronics to interface with the growing neurons.
As a step toward these applications, a team of researchers has developed a way to direct the growth of axons, the connection-forming arms of neurons. They use transparent silicon nitride microtubes on glass slides to encourage the cells' axons to grow in specific directions. The cultured nerve cells grow aimlessly until they bump into one of the tubes. The axon then enters the tube, and its growth is accelerated 20-fold. Silicon nitride already is used in some orthopedic devices, and could serve as a substrate for electronics to interface with the growing neurons.
Well, it's a well known fact, (Score:1)
Neurons respond consistently to SiN.
Re:Well, it's a well known fact, (Score:4, Interesting)
The UW Medical Center’s Shain sees a potential therapeutic application for the tubes: helping axons grow across long distances to repair injuries. In the body, neurons typically won’t grow past a scar. With further development, these microtubes could be used to rebuild severed nerve bundles, he says.
BTW, cool video in the source.
I'm so confused (Score:2, Funny)
this wasn't 3D printed, so how can it be the future?
Another development brought to you by SkyNet (Score:3)
SkyNet: Self-aware since August 29, 1997.
sounds like emulating natural neuron repair (Score:2)
Wikipedia has a pretty thorough description of the process of neuroregneration, which it sounds like they're trying to emluate here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N... [wikipedia.org] :
I bet this works great (Score:1)
for neurons growing on glass slides.
Re: (Score:2)
Which is good enough if you are wanting to build hybrid wetware robots, like the rather famous "ratbot" from 2002.
http://www.technologyreview.co... [technologyreview.com]
More interesting to me, is that these nanotubes seem to replace the myelin sheath on white matter neurons. If these researchers can make suitably long tubes out of this material they could 3d print the entire neuroconnective tissue of a larger neural structure, then grow grey matter outside that, like a normal brain is wired up. The artificial interface would be
Great for patient with neurogenic bladders (Score:3)
With the ability to grow a new bladder for patients born with small and poorly compressing bladders: source [washingtonpost.com] We may not have the ability to get these bladders fully functioning using this new technology. The biggest hurdle has been getting nerves to connect to the bladders so they can be used voluntarily and without the use of a catheter.