Scientists Build Micropyramids to Observe Living Cells
Posted on November 30, 2012
Scientists at the University of Twente's MESA+ and MIRA research institutes in the Netherlands have built micropyramids for 3D observation of cells. The scientists used 3D micro and nanofabrication technology to create the pyramids. The sides of the pyramids are open, which allows cells to continue to interact with other cells while still being contained in the micropyramids.
The scientists say in the release, "Many cell studies are carried out in a two-dimensional setting - not a natural situation, as the cells organize themselves differently from in the body, for instance. If you give them free play in a 3D setting, however, this is a better approximation of the natural situation, while you can still keep them within an array. This is how the 'open-sided pyramids' fabricated at the MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology's NanoLab work."
The research was reported here in the journal, Small.