bio sphere
Deciphering cellular conversations A device allows researchers to manipulate cells in culture to understand cell–cell interactions.
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another, and they just stay there for the Hui and Bhatia tested the device ells talk to one another, but how? whole experiment,” says Christopher with a model system of hepatocytes Do they need to touch each other, Chen at the University of Pennsylvania. (liver cells) and the stromal cells that or can they chat across a gap? To figure “Here, they can split the combs apart they require to establish and maintain it all out, Elliot Hui and Sangeeta Bhawhile doing the experiment.” their function. The investigators grew tia at the Massachusetts Institute of Alan Wells at the University of Pittshepatocytes on one comb and stromal Technology have built a micromechaniburgh agrees. “There are newer methcells on the other and began to play cal device that allows them to dynamiods with patterned surfaces and smart with the distances between the two. cally manipulate cell cultures. They dissurfaces where you put cells covered that a liver cell didn’t on different areas on the surneed to be in continuous conHepatocytes face, but those aren’t adjusttact with its supporting cell to able,” he says. “You put down keep working (Proc. Natl. Stroma A both cell types at predefined Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2007, 104, Stroma B distances. What is interesting 5722–5726). about this [work] is that it has Cells don’t sit still and silent the potential to adjust differin vivo. In embryonic developences” in distance. ment, for instance, many cell The investigators also estabtypes come into contact with lished the distance over which one another and communicate the soluble factors could act. so they can establish their final When they left a gap between identities. So, the manipulation the combs, cells that were of cells in culture holds the alcloser to the stromal cells surlure of explaining fundamental vived for 2 weeks; hepatocytes biological processes as well as that were farther away on the opening up applications in tisteeth died. Hui and Bhatia essue engineering. But the probtablished that the soluble faclem with current in vitro meth250 µm tors worked over a distance of ods is that once the cultures
