Researchers at the University of Twente (Holland) have developed a curious technology that allows living cells to be trapped inside tiny microscopic pyramids in order to study them in the laboratory. As the image shows, these tiny pyramids, created with three-dimensional manufacturing techniques at the nanoscale – that is, to a size equivalent to one ten thousandth of a human hair – have open walls to allow cells to interact with each other, as explained by the researchers in the specialized journal Small .
The nanoscientists tested the method with chondrocytes, which are the cells that make up cartilage. In the future they hope to take advantage of the gap between contiguous pyramids to create nanofluid channels to keep cells nourished during experiments. Furthermore, they are convinced that the method will help biologists and experts in regenerative medicine to better understand how tissue regeneration works .
