Chip Can Heal Damaged Tissue
A new chip can reprogramme skin cells into another type of cells, which can heal wounds, etc.
MEDICINE It seems like magic. A new patch allows doctors to reprogramme skin cells. A leg wound can be cured by reprogramming skin cells to produce blood vessels to ensure oxygen and nourishment. The patch can also repair brain injury, as skin cells can be converted into neurons, which can be harvested and injected into the brain. Those are the prospects of a silicone patch with a chip developed by scientists from the Ohio State University in the US. The chip contains liquid with genetic material, which makes the skin cells change their identity. An electric current makes the cell membrane of the skin cells open up, as the chip shoots liquid directly into the cells. The method has been tested on mice and will be ready to be tested on humans next year.