Touch is 'key' to body regeneration
Touch is a key factor for cell development, according to scientists
After years investigating how and why most cells know what to do in the body, scientist believe touch plays an even greater role that previously thought.
Despite the fact that there are trillions of cells in the body, most cells know whether to become bone, skin, muscle or so on. Until recently most theories focused on the role smell had on influencing cell growth and repair.
Writing in New Scientist, Bob Holmes noted: "Biologists thought of cells as automatons that blindly followed the orders they were given."
However, in recent years, scientists have begun to believe that touch is vital for cells, enabling them to "work out for themselves where they are and what they should be doing".
This could explain why exercise and physical therapy are important for health and healing, Mr Holmes noted, adding that if cells do not get the correct physical cues when a person is recovering from an injury, the cells may not know what to do to help healing.
Dennis Discher, a biophysical engineer at the University of Pennsylvania, was part of a study which examined how touch could influence cell growth.
The scientists used atomic force microscopy to evaluate the stiffness of a variety of tissues and gel pads. Human mesenchymal stem cells - the forerunners to bone, muscle and many other tissue types – were then grown on the gels.
In each case, the cells turned into the tissue that most closely matched the stiffness of the gel, with the gels similar in consistency to brain tissue giving rise to nerve cells. In contrast, gels that were similar to the stiffness of muscle tissue generated muscle cells.
Speaking to the publication, Mr Discher said: "What's surprising is not that there are tactile differences between one tissue and another. What's surprising is that cells feel that difference."
Earlier this month, scientists in France and Australia said they had discovered a new way of delivering stem cells that could one day lead to a single injection to mend broken or diseased bones and joints.
