It's no secret that the cells of our body have a built-in ability to withstand various negative factors. But, unfortunately, this useful function does not always allow you to fully “repel an attack”. Then various medicines come to the rescue. But what if cells can be “reprogrammed” to protect? Scientists from Ohio University managed to do something similar. They have found a way to alter the function of cells so that they can fight a variety of diseases and heal damaged body tissues.
The scientific development was announced by the editors of the journal Nature, and the new method was called tissue nanotransfection, which means the introduction of extracellular material into the cell by a non-viral method. The technique itself looks like this: doctors perform light electrical stimulation of the skin surface, and then place the chip in the same place. In less than a second, this chip delivers the necessary information to the cells through a high-intensity, focused electric field.
It is worth mentioning that the method of changing cells is not something new, but previously, viruses implanted into the cell were used for this. In addition, the method using viruses requires a long preparation of the patient for the procedure. But tissue nanotransfection is unique in that specialists have found a way to control cells through a point controlled signal. According to scientists, “We are announcing a new, simple, non-viral approach to pinpoint tissue reprogramming via a nanochannel device. Our method will allow changing the functions of cells and replacing entire areas that have undergone necrosis. Unfortunately, so far all this can be said only in theory - the new apparatus was tested only on mice, although the tests were crowned with success. For example, one rodent managed to cure a tumor."
The experts plan to continue research during this year and obtain approval for research involving humans. If the new method turns out to be effective, it can be used to treat various tissues, including for the restoration of brain tissue damaged as a result of injuries, strokes, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.
Based on materials from TASS agency
Vladimir Kuznetsov
