Adonis Diaries

Your cells change by touch; (Apr. 5, 2010)

            Cells have no eyes or ears but they feel and smell and then they split and regenerate to all kinds of other cells according to the environment they are in.  Dennis Discher, a biophysics at the University of Pennsylvania soaked cells in varieties of gels. Human cells soaked in ultra soft gel produced nerve cells; in gel 10 times harder cells generated muscle cells; in yet harder gel cells split into bone cells.  For example, Clark Hung, a biophysician at the University of Columbia NY, is producing synthetic cartilage, as solid as human one, by mechanically pressing regularly biological materials, at pressures similar to what is generated by walking or running, while the cells are developing.

            Surgeons have realized that dead cardiac muscles healed their wounds but no new young cells where regenerated.  It appears that the scars on dead muscles are too hard for the cells to soften in order to split within the proper environment; in a way, cells just gave up attempting after a while. Thus, one way to regenerate cells is by acting upon its environment by softening the medium according to the kind of cells that are needed.

            So far, medical researches have been focused on the smell sense in cells by applying or sending chemical signals for cell regeneration. Thus, mechanical and physical characteristics around cells environment are alternative viable methods to work on cells production.

Note 1:  I cannot help but jump to a few deductions: first, gel or lotion applied on skin might have opposite effect if the softness is not appropriate to the skin type of cell in the applied area; for example, facial lotion should be targeting facial skin type.  Second, rough scars on skin might be the result of failing to applying the right gel while the scar was healing.  Third, in periods of severe itching bouts the skin might leave unsightly proofs of itching ailment if the proper gel or crème was not applied on the itching areas.       

Note 2:  I am not familiar with gel or lotions manufactured by beauty industries and pharmaceutical multinationals but I hope that the tactile factor in cells be already part of research methods for the proper type of gel medium to each kind of cells.