HKBU scholars invent award-winning medical device for safe growth of neural stem cells using nanotechnology
June 20 2018 - 10:00PM
JCN Newswire (English)
|
Professor Ken Yung (right) and Dr Jeffery Huang (left)
jointly invent the award-winning medical device for safe growth of
neural stem cells using nanotechnology. Dr Huang is holding a piece
of device. |
|
(Left) A diagram showing neural stem cell differentiation:
the neural stem cell placed on the nano-matrix becomes a functional
cell; and (right) it shows the structure of the lightning type ("Z"
shape) of the nano-matrix. |
HONG KONG, June 21, 2018 - (ACN Newswire) - The
research team of Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) invented a
medical device with a specific nanotechnology layer for the
proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells (NSCs) in
vitro. Compared with traditional methods, the team's novel matrix
can reduce the risk of carcinogenesis or inflammation in stem cell
therapy - a treatment that offers hope of a cure for incurable
diseases such as neurodegenerative diseases, chronic systemic
diseases and degenerative joint diseases. This pioneering invention
won the team the Gold Medal with Congratulations of Jury at the
46th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva held in
Switzerland in April 2018. The application for a US patent has been
filed.
The team was jointly led by Professor Ken Yung Kin-lam of the
Department of Biology and Associate Professor Dr Jeffery Huang
Zhifeng of the Department of Physics.
Professor Ken Yung said, "With the global population aging rapidly,
neurodegenerative diseases (such as Alzheimer's disease and
Parkinson's disease) are regarded as the main threat and burden to
global healthcare. Recently, scientists have turned their focus on
cell replacement therapies, including stem cell therapy, which have
shown huge promise in treating neurodegenerative diseases. Stem
cell therapy is a treatment using stem cells to cultivate new and
normal cells, tissues or organs and then transplanted to people to
restore physiological function by replacing damaged or dead
cells."
"Traditional methods for proliferation and differentiation of NSCs
require a large number of additional growth factors in a culture
medium, which are kinds of polypeptides and can regulate many
aspects of cellular function that may stimulate the growth of
cancer cells and increase the risk of developing tumours in vivo
after transplantation," Professor Yung added.
Dr Jeffery Huang said that the layer of nanostructure of their new
invention is made of biocompatible materials, and avoids the use of
additional growth factor or other biochemical for cultivating
cells. After growth and cell differentiation, it is hoped that the
mature cell can turn into a therapeutic agent for stem cell
therapy.
Dr Huang said, "The NSCs are under 'physical massage' when they
come into physiological contact with the matrix we developed. Owing
to the appropriate design and choice of materials and structure of
the matrix, the 'physical massage' resembles the Chinese medicine
acupuncture technique which causes the cells to differentiate into
functional cells that are in urgent demand in cell replacement
therapy to treat neurodegenerative diseases, cancers and tumours.
Importantly, the physical massage, which minimises the use of
growth factors, should substantially reduce the risk of
carcinogenesis in clinical trials."
Professor Ken Yung said, "The novel matrix enables scientists to
cultivate NSCs by adopting the usual method, however with the added
advantage of organic compounds (like Polylysine and Polyornithine)
being excluded from the process, thereby reducing the potential
risk of carcinogenesis or inflammation in stem cell therapy. It
could provide a safe platform for research into stem cell therapies
using the latest, novel nanotechnology, and also help boost the
development of regenerative medicine."
Making use of the proprietary invention, the team has established
Mat-A-Cell Limited with the aim of providing an advanced device to
research institutions and companies that develop cell therapy.
For more details, please refer to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-Hi-fusocY
Press release distributed by ResearchSEA for Hong Kong Baptist
University.
Source: HKBU
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