Cellular Incubator for Implantation Into Body

Researchers at Tomsk State University and Siberian State Medical University in Russia have developed a new type of cell incubator that can be used to place lab-grown tissues into the body. The incubator is in the shape of a mesh made out of filaments of titanium nickelide (TiNi) that are only 25−40 μm, wound together using a new manufacturing process developed by the Tomsk team.

Because of the large volume within the mesh, the device can support a lot more cells than previous similar incubators. The new incubator is designed to be seeded with a patient’s own cells and to then spend time in a bioreactor where the seeds are promote to grow and proliferate throughout the incubator. The device would then be transferred, as though it’s native tissue, back into the patient to treat sites of injury and to treat a variety of diseases.

“After a period of adaptation, the cells inside the incubator begin to function, replacing partially or completely the function of the injured organ and creating a certain therapeutic effect,” said Georgy Dambayev, professor at Siberian State Medical University. “Over time, the efficiency of the device increases, as the permeable structure germinates with blood and lymphatic vessels, and the incubator functions as closely as possible to natural organs in natural conditions.”