Clinical Edge

Article preview reprinted Medtech Insight - January 2009

Find out how the test tube bone marrow can produce red and white blood cells, including B cells, a type of white blood cell that produces antibodies to fight infection and disease.

Clinical Edge

The researchers believe the artificial marrow may simplify the process of testing new anticancer drugs for their deleterious effects on the immune system, and it could potentially enable a continuous supply of blood for transfusions to be made in the laboratory.

The artificial marrow was not made with the intention of being implanted into the body. However, it is the first successful artificial bone marrow according to Nicholas Kotov, PhD, principal investigator and a professor at the University of Michigan in the departments of Chemical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and Biomedical Engineering.

The marrow was grown on a unique three-dimensional scaffold designed to mimic the materials within actual bone marrow, which proved key to the success of the endeavor. The artificial scaffold was made from a transparent polymer that nutrients can easily permeate. The scientists molded this material around little spheres in order to create geometric pores similar to those found in actual bone marrow. Then the scaffolds were seeded with bone marrow stromal cells and osteoblasts.

The resulting laboratory-grown marrow was later implanted in mice to test its similarity to human bone marrow. The mice successfully produced human immune cells and blood vessels were able to grow through the lab-created marrow. The artificial marrow also was found to react to the New Caledonia/99/H1N1 flu virus with a human-like response, the researchers say. The details of this study were published online in December in the journal Biomaterials.

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University of Michigan

University of Texas

University of Texas Health Science Center

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