Stem cell bandages Bandages and band aids containing stem cells to help heal wounds are closer to re

Stem cell bandages Bandages and band aids containing stem cells to help heal wounds are closer to reality after scientists found a way to keep stem cells alive at room temperature. By encasing stem cells in a frogspawn-like gel made from a seaweed extract called alginate, scientists at Newcastle University can put them inside bandages, which could be used to help speed up healing from ulcers or burns for example. The gel retains the cells so that they don’t leave the bandage – it’s the chemicals these cells make that actually do the healing.The low-cost discovery also has lots of other potential applications, because until now stem cells have had to be kept in specialised conditions; at 37°C, in atmospheric oxygen and 5% carbon dioxide. Alginate is a natural material extracted from seaweed that is used in cosmetics and food manufacturing and is already used in wound dressings, without stem cells, to keep burns moist. Read moreImages: Newcastle University -- source link

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