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Keeping in Shape
27 November 2012

Keeping in Shape

Although they look like play putty, these colourful shapes are not toys for children. They are in fact made of cryogel, a cutting-edge material which can absorb large amounts of water and still keep its original shape. This sponge-like substance, which mimics the structure of living tissues, could provide a perfect framework around which new cells could grow. But, while other materials that could fulfil this function already exist, how to implant these scaffolds into patients has long been a problem. Cryogels may provide a solution. These shapes are nearly half a centimetre across, but retain their form even after being squeezed through a hypodermic needle. This may allow the revolutionary step of injecting precisely-shaped scaffolds to guide tissue reconstruction without serious surgery. Furthermore, it also solves that age-old infant's problem: how do you push a square shape through a round hole?

Written by Jan Piotrowski

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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