Scaffolding for biological structures

摘要

Researchers at the School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), are using a Malvern Instruments Ze-tasizer Nano to provide particle size and charge data that is being used in the development of innovative hydrogel matrices for 'scaffolds' that could be used to grow human organs in the test tube. "Precise in vitro re-creation of complex biological environments is appealing for applications within drug screening, biological studies and tissue engineering," said Michal Lipka from Dr Alvaro Mata's research group. "As molecular size and charge define the parameters of these experiments, robust multivariate molecular analysis forms the bedrock of our research." The Zetasizer Nano's electrophoretic light scattering capabilities are allowing researchers to better understand the nature of the electrostatic interactions between proteins and peptides. These measurements are crucial to developing cell culture platforms for the production of specific biologically significant hydrogels.