Abstract Neural stem cell (NSC) based therapy provides a promising approach   
   for neural regeneration. For the success of NSC clinical application, a   
   scaffold is required to provide three-dimensional (3D) cell growth   
   microenvironments and appropriate    
   synergistic cell guidance cues. Here, we report the first utilization of   
   graphene foam, a 3D porous structure, as a novel scaffold for NSCs in vitro.   
   It was found that three-dimensional graphene foams (3D-GFs) can not only   
   support NSC growth, but also    
   keep cell at an active proliferation state with upregulation of Ki67   
   expression than that of two-dimensional graphene films. Meanwhile, phenotypic   
   analysis indicated that 3D-GFs can enhance the NSC differentiation towards   
   astrocytes and especially    
   neurons. Furthermore, a good electrical coupling of 3D-GFs with differentiated   
   NSCs for efficient electrical stimulation was observed. Our findings implicate   
   3D-GFs could offer a powerful platform for NSC research, neural tissue   
   engineering and neural    
   prostheses.   
   Journal reference: Scientific Reports   
      
   http://phys.org/news/2013-04-graphene-foams-cozy-scaffolds-neural.html#nwlt   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)