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Living heart cells drive microfluid pump
30 November 2006 - New Scientist Tech ---A tiny pump driven by living heart cells has been developed by researchers in Japan. Future versions could perhaps power medical implants or devices that analyse biological samples, the researchers say.
The pump is made from a hollow sphere of flexible polymer with tubes connected to opposite sides. The sphere is coated with a sheet of cultured rat heart muscle cells and these cells drive the pump with pulsing contractions.
The device was developed by Takehiko Kitamori at the University of Tokyo, Japan, and colleagues at the Japan Science and Technology Agency. The team liken their invention to the simple one-chamber heart of an earthworm.
The pump has no need for a battery, just a ready supply of nutrients for the cells. ...more...
