Tuesday´s News

Costa Ricans Invent Method to Grow New Blood Vessels

From: www.costaricanewssite.com

The lack of blood in the tissues of the body deprives cells of oxygen and can damage the heart or lead to amputation of a limb.

However, a group of U.S. researchers, led by chemist Samuel Stupp of Costa Rican origin, invented a way to regeneratenew blood vessels necessary for blood to circulate in the body.

Stupp and his team of researchers at Northwestern University, based in Chicago (USA), created a structure 

that serves as a kind of scaffolding for the body to build their own blood vessels.

This structure was created using nanotechnology, the science that works in the extremely small. A nanometer is a millionth part of a meter.

Scientists were able to build a nanostructure that mimics one of the proteins responsible for creating natural blood vessels, called vascular endothelial growth factor, known as VEGF.

Stupp hopes to begin in two or three years the testing of this technology on humans. Such treatment could have applications that benefit people with various circulation problems, including diabetics, who can lose limbs because of problems with blood supply.

Word of the Day

Amputate
am·pu·tate: \ˈam-pyə-ˌtāt\
Origin: Latin amputatus, past participle of amputare, from am-, amb- around + putare to cut, prune — more at ambi-
First Known Use: 1612
Verb
1 : to remove by or as if by cutting; especially : to cut (as a limb) from the body
— am·pu·ta·tion: noun

More Vocabulary

Deprive: v. to take something away from
Limb: n. a leg or arm of a human being
Mimic: adj. imitate; mock
Regenerate: v. to replace (a body part) by a new growth of tissue
Scaffolds:  n. a supporting framework