Harnessing the Power of Stem Cells

Proliferation and differentiation are the two processes stem cells must show to have therapeutic value in, say, neuron regeneration for treating Parkinsonism or severed spinal nerves. Different chemical signals control these processes; knowing this, researchers at Rutgers have developed a nanotechnology strategy, “NanoScripts,” to accomplish tasks with the right timing. Their method relies on gold nanoparticles, conveying functional peptides and small molecules called synthetic transcription factors, which mimic the individual TF domains, for culturing tissue in vitro. MORE

Image Credit: Rutgers