U.S. researchers create artificial human bone marrow

WASHINGTON, Dec. 25 (Chinese media) -- A University of

Michigan lab has created artificial bone marrow that can continuously make red

and white blood cells.

This development could lead to simpler pharmaceutical

drug testing, closer study of immune system defects and a continuous supply of

blood for transfusions, the research team reported in the current issue of

journal Biomaterials.

The substance grows on a 3-D scaffold that mimics the

tissues supporting bone marrow in the body, said Nicholas Kotov, the lead

researcher.

The marrow is not made to be implanted in the body,

like most 3-D biomedical scaffolds. It is designed to function in a test tube.

"This is the first successful artificial bone

marrow," Kotov said. "It has two of the essential functions of bone marrow. It

can replicate blood stem cells and produce B cells. The latter are the key

immune cells producing antibodies that are important to fighting many diseases."

To determine whether the substance behaves like real

bone marrow, the scientists implanted it in mice with immune deficiencies. The

mice produced human immune cells and blood vessels grew through the substance.

Blood stem cells give rise to blood as well as

several other types of cells. B cells, a type of white blood cell, battle colds,

bacterial infections, and other foreign or abnormal cells including some

cancers.

Cancer-fighting chemotherapy drugs can strongly

suppress bone marrow function, leaving the body more susceptible to infection.

The new artificial marrow could allow researchers to test how a new drug at

certain potencies would affect bone marrow function, Kotov said. This could

assist in drug development and catch severe side effects before human drug

trials.