Toggle light / dark theme

In their study, published in Mechanobiology in Medicine, the researchers discovered that the protein responsible for binding neural stem cells in the human brain, neuro-cadherin, also plays a key role in stimulating their differentiation.

Neural stem cells are early-stage, unspecialized cells that have the ability to differentiate, or develop, into various types of neurons and non-neuronal cells of the central nervous system.

Researchers are closer to growing chicken nuggets in the lab, thanks to the use of tiny hollow fibers that mimic blood vessels.

While cultured meat has been advancing for some time now, it’s been limited to thin strips of less than a millimeter. Creating a thicker product with a familiar appeal has so far proven elusive.

“Replicating the texture and taste of whole-cut meat remains difficult,” explains biomedical engineer Shoji Takeuchi from The University of Tokyo.