New Supergel Has Strange Biological Properties
22nd March 2014
Using synthetic molecules, scientists have created a gel that behaves similarly to the proteins that form a cell’s internal, shape-controlling scaffold. Eventually, the gel might be able to help heal wounds, build artificial cells, and deliver drugs to targeted areas.
Clear and colorless, the gel becomes stiffer as it’s pulled or pressed on, almost as a rubber band becomes stiffer when stretched. But unlike that rubber band, the gel’s stiffness increases disproportionately with stretching — it rapidly becomes more and more rigid. This super-stiffening behavior mimics the stress response of cytoskeletal proteins, which form a support network inside the cell that helps with locomotion and organizing internal structures.