Artificial jellyfish made from rats
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July 24, 2012 |
Would you be comfortable testing new drugs on animals if the animals were artificial? Such creatures might be closer than you think.
Scientists from MIT have created a ‘jellyfish’. It’s basically rat heart muscle cells spread on a silicone sheet. When zapped with a mild current it comes to life, swimming and bobbing like a real jellyfish.
The researchers hope to create a version with human heart muscle cells, and use it for testing new heart drugs. I wouldn’t run tests on it – I’d keep it as a pet!
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The scientists studied young moon jellyfish to understand how their muscles work when they swim.
Image: Flickr/Philippa Warr
