Researchers at UCL have developed mechanical force sensors inside the brains and spinal cords of chicken embryos to study birth defects like spina bifida.
The study, featured in Nature Materials and done in partnership with the University of Padua and the Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM), utilizes advanced biotechnologies to measure the mechanical forces experienced by developing embryos.
These forces play a vital role in the development of organs and body systems, including the neural tube that forms the central nervous system.
Congenital spinal cord issues affect about one in 2,000 newborns in Europe annually.
Despite long-standing research, these malformations cannot be fully understood through genetic studies alone.
Therefore, researchers are now focusing on the physical forces within tissues during embryo growth. However, studying the embryonic spinal cord is challenging due to its small and fragile nature, making it too minute to see with the naked eye. Consequently, the force sensors must be small and soft to avoid disruption of normal growth.
To address these challenges, researchers used 3D printing to create tiny force sensors (around 0.1mm wide) directly inside the developing nervous systems of chicken embryos.
These sensors start as a liquid applied to the embryos and solidify into a spring-like material when exposed to a strong laser. This material attaches to the embryos’ evolving spinal cords and reacts to the mechanical forces generated by the cells.
This approach enables the measurement of small forces, about a tenth of the weight of a human eyelash, necessary for spinal cord formation in embryos.
For normal growth, these forces must surpass opposing negative forces.
By quantifying these forces, researchers can investigate drugs that can increase positive forces or decrease negative ones to prevent birth defects like spina bifida.
These drugs could complement the benefits of folic acid intake, a well-known strategy for preventing developmental issues during pregnancy.
Lead researcher Dr. Eirini Maniou (UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health and University of Padua) stated, “With novel biomaterials and advanced microscopy, this study can revolutionize embryonic mechanics and lay the groundwork for a comprehensive understanding of development.”
“Our findings open the door to identifying new preventative and therapeutic options for central nervous system defects,” added Dr. Maniou.
The research team also verified that the technology could be used on human stem cells as they mature into spinal cord cells.
In the future, this could facilitate comparisons between healthy donor stem cells and those of spina bifida patients to understand the condition’s development.
Co-senior researcher Dr. Gabriel Galea (UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health) remarked, “This technology is versatile and adaptable to various research areas, and we anticipate its widespread adoption to address fundamental queries.”
Co-senior researcher Professor Nicola Elvassore (University of Padua and VIMM) added, “This breakthrough not only enhances our knowledge of mechanical forces during embryo growth but also offers insights into preventing conditions such as spina bifida.”
“The precise measurement of embryonic forces represents a significant advancement in biomedical research,” Professor Elvassore concluded.
