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Another dimension: 3-D cell growth opens new pathway for spinal cord repair
Griffith University researchers have opened a new avenue to advance a therapy to repair the paralysed spinal cord.
A paper published in the prestigious Nature group journal Scientific Reports presents a novel technique to grow cells in three dimensions, without the traditional restrictions of matrix or scaffolds.
By using floating liquid marbles, cells can freely associate and form natural structures as they would normally within the human body.
"Allowing cells to grow in this 3D format dramatically increases their growth and function and is particularly useful for spinal transplantation repair in which cells are transplanted into the injury site," says research supervisor Dr James St John, from Griffith's Eskitis Institute for Drug Discovery.
The technique was developed when neurobiology merged with microfluidic engineering technology. Lead researcher, Griffith PhD student Mr Raja Vadivelu, and Professor Nam-Trung Nguyen (Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre) collaborated with Dr Jenny Ekberg (Queensland University of Technology) and scientists in Spain.
"In Australia, more than 12,000 people live with spinal cord paralysis and there is at least one new occurrence every day," says Dr St John.
"Although rehabilitation medicine has resulted in reductions in mortality, the current outcome for patients is permanent paralysis, with an overall cost to the community of $2 billion a year.
"In light of the overwhelming impact of spinal cord injury, new therapeutic interventions for drug discovery and cell therapy are urgently needed."
The transplantation of the specialised cell type from the olfactory (sense of smell) system is a promising approach to spinal cord repair.
"Successful partial regeneration of a completely severed spinal cord in a human was achieved recently in an overseas study, thus demonstrating this therapy can work," says Mr Vadivelu.
"What is now needed is to make the transplantation therapy more effective and suitable for patients with a range of different spinal cord injuries."
The new method enables transplanted cells to survive and better integrate into the injury site. In turn, this will help the spinal cord to regenerate more effectively.
"Liquid marbles are a remarkably simply way to culture cells in 3D," says Dr St John.
"A droplet of liquid that contains the cells is placed upon a carpet of teflon powder to create a liquid marble which can then be floated on cell culture medium.
"By having an air interface between the liquid marble and the cell culture medium upon which it floats, the liquid marble easily rotates.
"This allows the cells within the liquid marbles to freely associate to form natural structures without the confines imposed upon them by other 3D culturing methods."
Floating liquid marbles have been known for almost 200 years. In 1830, British explorer Alexander Burnes was travelling through what is now Pakistan when he observed the Indus River merging with the sea.
He noted that "round globules filled with water" floated on the seawater and formed when the freshwater detached sand from the sand banks.
"Burnes probably didn't think they could be used to help develop a therapy for spinal cord repair, but combining neurobiology and engineering at Griffith University has at last found an incredible use for the 'round globules'," says Dr St John.
The floating liquid marble technique can also be used to grow many other cell types in 3D and is likely to bring dramatic advances in several biological fields.
Explore further: Stem cell scarring aids recovery from spinal cord injury
More information: Scientific Reports, www.nature.com/articles/srep15083
Journal reference: Scientific Reports
Provided by: Griffith University
Source: http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-10-dimension-d-cell-growth-pathway.html
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Founded by Russian entrepreneur Dmitry Itskov in February 2011 with the participation of leading Russian specialists in the field of neural interfaces, robotics, artificial organs and systems.
The main goals of the 2045 Initiative: the creation and realization of a new strategy for the development of humanity which meets global civilization challenges; the creation of optimale conditions promoting the spiritual enlightenment of humanity; and the realization of a new futuristic reality based on 5 principles: high spirituality, high culture, high ethics, high science and high technologies.
The main science mega-project of the 2045 Initiative aims to create technologies enabling the transfer of a individual’s personality to a more advanced non-biological carrier, and extending life, including to the point of immortality. We devote particular attention to enabling the fullest possible dialogue between the world’s major spiritual traditions, science and society.
A large-scale transformation of humanity, comparable to some of the major spiritual and sci-tech revolutions in history, will require a new strategy. We believe this to be necessary to overcome existing crises, which threaten our planetary habitat and the continued existence of humanity as a species. With the 2045 Initiative, we hope to realize a new strategy for humanity's development, and in so doing, create a more productive, fulfilling, and satisfying future.
The "2045" team is working towards creating an international research center where leading scientists will be engaged in research and development in the fields of anthropomorphic robotics, living systems modeling and brain and consciousness modeling with the goal of transferring one’s individual consciousness to an artificial carrier and achieving cybernetic immortality.
An annual congress "The Global Future 2045" is organized by the Initiative to give platform for discussing mankind's evolutionary strategy based on technologies of cybernetic immortality as well as the possible impact of such technologies on global society, politics and economies of the future.
Future prospects of "2045" Initiative for society
2015-2020
The emergence and widespread use of affordable android "avatars" controlled by a "brain-computer" interface. Coupled with related technologies “avatars’ will give people a number of new features: ability to work in dangerous environments, perform rescue operations, travel in extreme situations etc.
Avatar components will be used in medicine for the rehabilitation of fully or partially disabled patients giving them prosthetic limbs or recover lost senses.
2020-2025
Creation of an autonomous life-support system for the human brain linked to a robot, ‘avatar’, will save people whose body is completely worn out or irreversibly damaged. Any patient with an intact brain will be able to return to a fully functioning bodily life. Such technologies will greatly enlarge the possibility of hybrid bio-electronic devices, thus creating a new IT revolution and will make all kinds of superimpositions of electronic and biological systems possible.
2030-2035
Creation of a computer model of the brain and human consciousness with the subsequent development of means to transfer individual consciousness onto an artificial carrier. This development will profoundly change the world, it will not only give everyone the possibility of cybernetic immortality but will also create a friendly artificial intelligence, expand human capabilities and provide opportunities for ordinary people to restore or modify their own brain multiple times. The final result at this stage can be a real revolution in the understanding of human nature that will completely change the human and technical prospects for humanity.
2045
This is the time when substance-independent minds will receive new bodies with capacities far exceeding those of ordinary humans. A new era for humanity will arrive! Changes will occur in all spheres of human activity – energy generation, transportation, politics, medicine, psychology, sciences, and so on.
Today it is hard to imagine a future when bodies consisting of nanorobots will become affordable and capable of taking any form. It is also hard to imagine body holograms featuring controlled matter. One thing is clear however: humanity, for the first time in its history, will make a fully managed evolutionary transition and eventually become a new species. Moreover, prerequisites for a large-scale expansion into outer space will be created as well.
Key elements of the project in the future
• International social movement
• social network immortal.me
• charitable foundation "Global Future 2045" (Foundation 2045)
• scientific research centre "Immortality"
• business incubator
• University of "Immortality"
• annual award for contribution to the realization of the project of "Immortality”.
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