Cosmos Body of God

COSMOS THE BODY OF GOD: ISA PURUSHA TATVA
M.M.NINAN
Another potential technique for drug delivery is the construction of three-dimensional scaffolds. In
this strategy, a drug can be loaded into the scaffold material, which is then implanted into the body. As
the scaffold is broken down and absorbed by the body the drug is released slowly in the local area. The
scaffold materials are often engineered to mimic non-cellular structures found in the body, like
collagen or keratin, which exist naturally as networks of fibers in the skin, joints, and most other
tissues. Over the last two decades, as understanding of biology has grown, scientists have realized that
these networks of fibers are not just a passive component of tissue, or just a place for cells to attach
and reside, but are active components in their own right. These fibrous networks can provide
mechanical cues to cells, sequester and release signals between cells, and direct developing tissues.
Since these natural scaffolds can have such dynamic effects on cells, it makes sense to customengineer
them to affect cells in a determined way .........
Figure 2. A three-dimensional scaffold of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) at two different
magnifications. (Image credit: DoITPoMS, University of Cambridge, UK)
Hydrogels represent yet another approach to making scaffolds. Hydrogels are most popularly used in
contact lenses. This class of materials, like the name suggests, are polymers that readily absorb water.
Therefore, the bulk structure can be more than 99% water by weight. Water is abundant in the body,
and every biochemical reaction occurs in an aqueous environment, so it makes sense to engineer a drug
delivery system to incorporate water. Even though only a small fraction of the weight is a connected
network of polymer, a mechanically stable structure in any arbitrary shape (like a lens) can be formed.
The advantage of using hydrogels is that they are not as rigid as other scaffold systems. They can be
injected, instead of implanted. However, since the starting material is water-based, different strategies
must be employed to incorporate active drugs.......But with all the possibilities that scientists are
pursuing, the future of medicine seems bright for better treatments with fewer side effects.
Joe Akin is a PhD student in the Immunology program at Harvard Medical School.
https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/sitnflash_wp/2011/06/
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