Medusoid, Artificial Jellyfish Made From Rat Cells

The scientists succeeded in making artificial jellies made from rat heart cells and silicone polymers. Like natural biological pump, the artificial jellyfish which dubbed Medusoid to throb like the human heart and could swim resemble the original jellyfish.

"It's a good model for studying the physiology of the human heart," says Kevin Kit Parker, a biological engineering researcher at Harvard University.

Medusoid, artificial jellyfish.
(Picture from: http://www.bellenews.com/)

The idea of ​​making Medusoid is to see how the muscular pump, in addition to the heart muscle or other organs, as well as learn the basic similarities or the principles of design in between.

Parker said the main ingredient for making Medusoid is rat heart muscle cells and a thin silicon films. Collaborated with researchers from the California Institute of Technology, they manipulate the cells and silicon into a structure that resembles a real jellyfish.

Then they were placed Medusoid in a tank containing electrically conductive liquid. Electric shock and then passed to stimulate the artificial jellyfish is so moving. "As a result, the jellyfish swim. But no need to eat and reproduction as well as real jellyfish," said Parker, Monday (07/25/2012).

Body and muscle design of the Medusoid. (Picture from: http://images.caltech.edu/)

Medusoid has many benefits as a model. Parker said that each scientist can take advantage of the jellyfish findings to solve different problems.

A marine biologist, for example, can learn more about the architecture and mechanisms of jellyfish swimming. Comparative biologists can observe the pumping mechanism Medusoid compared with the workings of the human heart.

A close up of the medusoid cardiac muscle. The nuclei stain blue among the green fibers. (Picture from: http://www.fastcoexist.com/)

For tissue engineers, Parker added, making Medusoid be a lesson in design and quality control. "I am interested in using Medusoid for development heart pain drug and as a model initial for designing artificial heart," Parker says.

The success of making Medusoid, published in the journal Nature Biotechnology, triggering Parker and his colleagues went on trial in other animals that have the anatomy and function of organs is more complicated and complex. *** [LIVESCIENCE | TELEGRAPH | MAHARDIKA SATRIA HADI | KORAN TEMPO 3950]

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