The properties of laser beams generated from fiber laser systems remain largely understudied, that is why fiber laser could be used in various fields of laser application. For example, a group of researchers from Washington uses the light emitted from a laser beam to tether and untether signal proteins to the scaffolds participated in tissue engineering.
The fact is that these proteins transmit special signals in order to manage cell migration, division, and differentiation, herewith, they play a crucial role in growing tissues. Nevertheless, the proteins are highly fragile, that is why conventional techniques applied to save proteins on scaffolds may destroy more than 90% of the proteins’ functionality.
It is planned that the new laser technology enables the researchers to load a hydrogel (scaffold) with numerous types of protein signals and then treat the hydrogel with light from laser beam emitted by a laser system to untether proteins from specific sections of the material.
Thus, by treating only the hydrogels with the laser beam light, the laser technology allows the researchers to manage where protein signals continue to be tethered to the hydrogel. The main aim of such a process is the creation of signal protein patterns throughout a biomaterial scaffold to grow tissues consisted of different types of cells.
It should be mentioned that the proteins are changed so it is possible to tether them chemically to the scaffold with the help of light emitted by the laser beam. Moreover, by treating the tethers to light produced by a laser system, it is possible to make the mentioned above proteins photo released.
This laser system technique has been tested applying a hydrogel loaded with a protein signal. To be precise, members of the research team implemented a human cell line into the hydrogel and supervised the growth factors binding to the cell membranes. The main component of the experiment was a laser beam generated by a laser system to untether the protein signals on one side only of a certain cell.
Herein, on the tethered side, these proteins remained on the outside of the cell because they still sucked in the hydrogel while on the opposite side, the protein signals
On the tethered side, the proteins stayed on the outside of the cell since they were still stuck to the hydrogel. On the untethered side, the protein signals were assimilated by the cell. Therefore, now it is real to ensure that different cells or their different part may get different environmental protein signals due to the laser technology based on the use of laser beam light.
This laser system technology offers highly accurate control at the single-cell level that could be applied not only in tissue engineering but potentially in basic research in cell biology, for better understanding the principle of protein signals’ operation together to manage cell differentiation, heal diseased tissue, and promote human development.
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