China makes big breakthrough in the World of medicine
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BEIJING - China has created the world's first medical instrument that can induce, culture and screen stem cells automatically.
The instrument was approved on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported.
The key components of the instrument include an incubator, and six major systems of liquid handling, online microscopic observation, clone picking, petri dish delivery and equipment control. The equipment makes possible the automation and standardization of stem cells induction, and is therefore more effective, cost-efficient and reliable compared with manual induction and culturing of stem cells.
“From sampling to storage, the entire process can be completed automatically, especially the process of changing culture solutions. The cells are just like us. We eat three meals a day. The culture solutions for the cells need to be changed every 24 hours," said Pei Duanqing, director of Guangzhou Institute of Biomedicine and Health of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the developer of the instrument.
Stem cells can self-renew or multiply while maintaining the potential to develop into other types of cells. They can become cells of the blood, heart, bones, skin, muscle, brain or other body parts. They are valuable research tools and might in future be used to treat a wide range of ailments.
"Now hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) have been put to wide use. The hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has saved many lives. Many leukemia patients, for instance, survived with the help of HSCT," Pei added.
