Viruses as Tissue Scaffold
December 13, 2011 | Terry Sharrer
Bioengineers at the University of California, Berkeley, have developed a process of assembling bacteriophage on glass to create scaffolds for growing bone or synthesizing tooth enamel. The method involves placing a glass plate in a saline solution containing the virus. As the plate is slowly pulled out, the viruses self-assemble into various structures (depending on their concentration and the removal rate). Apparently, one structure looks like dried ramen noodles. When such a scaffold is dipped subsequently into a solution of calcium and phosphate, the minerals form a material resembling tooth enamel. MORE