Stem cells levitated by sound could form simple miniature organs

When researchers used sound to levitate stem cells, they found that the cells formed into spheres. The method could be used for growing tissues for transplants

By Karmela Padavic-Callaghan

Stem cells levitated with sound can spontaneously form spherical blobs. The technique could be used to grow tissues or simple miniature organs without researchers having to physically manipulate cells and potentially disrupt them in the process.

Engineering or creating tissues for therapeutic use, like pieces of cartilage for knee repair, is challenging. The chemicals and forces used to coax cells into the desired shape can impair their function once implanted. Mauricio Hoyos at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and his colleagues discovered …