Armenian doctors will start growing human skin from stem cellsOctober 21, 2017 - 16:32 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Immunology and Tissue Engineering Lab of the Orbeli Institute of Physiology, through a grant from Stepan Gishyan Charity Foundation, will attempt to grow human skin from stem cells for surgical use in an incubator that creates environment close to the human body. “We have acquired a high-end incubator, as the previous one did not provide adequate conditions for the cells to maintain their viable state. Our experiments would very often fail due to technical problems,” said Zaruhi Karabekyan, the head of the Immunology and Tissue Engineering Lab. “We used to mark the scales of temperature and CO2 gas pointers to perform a manual setup: the incubator now is auto-regulated. We will first separate the stem cells from the fatty tissue, then create a cell repository which will be used to create skin matching our gene pool. We’ll be able to produce liver, vascular or organ tissues using the cell repository.”
“We are happy that scientific work will from now on be more efficient, and students will have the opportunity to carry out tests using modern equipment,” said Anna Gishyan, director of Stepan Gishyan Charity Foundation. “To carry out skin transplantation, Armenian doctors currently receive tissues from abroad. We hope to have an alternative solution thanks to the foundation’s investment and the scholar’s efforts.” Stepan Gishyan charity foundation was founded by ACBA-CREDIT AGRICOLE BANK, the French Credit Agricole Bank, Credit Agricole Federation Nationale and Stepan Gishyan family. The foundation has received 128 applications for getting involved in grant projects this year. Immunology and Tissue Engineering Lab of the Orbeli Institute of Physiology is one of the four winning projects. Top stories The number of state universities will be reduced from 23 to 8 by 2030, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan has said. From September 21 to November 11, a total of 2,820 Russians registered at a place of residence in Armenia, the police has said. The situation on the contact line between Karabakh and Azerbaijan was relatively stable overnight, the Defense Army says. Defense Minister Suren Papikyan has visited the southern Armenian province of Syunik, the Defense Ministry reported on March 18. Partner news | European Parliament to discuss repression in Azerbaijan The European Parliament will discuss repression of civil society in Azerbaijan on April 24 PACE wants concessions from Azerbaijan to accept Baku back A PACE co-rapporteur said that Azerbaijani authorities must make certain concessions so that the country can return to PACE. Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide. Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed. |