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By MALCOLM RITTER, AP Science Writer Malcolm Ritter, Ap Science Writer Wed
Feb 11
NEW YORK Cotton candy has delighted children for a century. Now it may have
found a new role: helping scientists grow replacement tissues for people. The
flossy stuff may be just right for creating networks of blood vessels within
laboratory-grown bone, skin, muscle or fat for breast reconstruction,
researchers suggest.
Dr. Jason Spector of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center
in New York and Leon Bellan of Cornell University present their preliminary
research in a paper published online this week by the journal Soft Matter.
Here's how their technique would work:
First, you pour a thick liquid chemical over a wad of cotton candy. Let the
liquid solidify into a chunk, and put that in warm water to dissolve the candy.
That leaves tiny channels where the strands of candy used to be. So you have a
chunk of material with a network of fine channels within.
Next, line these channels with cells to create artificial blood vessels. And
seed the solid chunk with immature cells of whatever tissue you're trying to
make. The block is biodegradable, and as it disappears, it will gradually be
replaced by growing tissue. In the end, you get a piece of tissue permeated
with tiny blood vessels.
So far, the researchers have made these blocks of material and run rat blood
through the channels within. While they may eventually switch to something
other than cotton candy as the research proceeds, Bellan said he hopes to stick
with the inexpensive stuff as long as possible.
Spector, who keeps a jar of jelly beans on his desk, said he enjoys cotton
candy and that with this project, "it's taken on a whole new meaning."
But don't offer any of the stuff to his research partner.
"I actually hate cotton candy," Bellan said. "It's disgusting. I won't eat it."