How does cancer really behave? Finding the answer to this question will be possible thanks to the hydrogel developed by the start-up Real Research from the Jagiellonian Center of Innovation.
LifeGel developed by scientists from Krakow is to facilitate testing the effectiveness of new drugs. The invention allows cells to multiply in three-dimensional space, and not on a flat, two-dimensional surface as before. Why is it so important?
The creators of the hydrogel explain that cancer cells feel much better in such conditions. They treat them as a natural environment, thus the administration of the drug will be more effective and the research more reliable. According to specialists, the hydrogel can be used in any tests where the key is to obtain an environment that is as close to the natural as possible.
If further work on the gel is equally promising, then perhaps – in a few years – scientists will be able to use the solution developed by the Krakow team for cancer research. They will be able to develop new drugs better and faster, tumors grown in three-dimensional space will behave like those that develop in the body of a human or animal. Thus, they will better understand the mechanisms of action of tumors and will be able to develop appropriate drugs faster.
The priority for the originators of the hydrogel is to refine the product in such a way that it can be used as widely as possible in medicine. But LifeGelu can do more than just this. The solution developed by Krakow researchers can also be used, with high probability, to breed artificial meat.
It would be a food alternative for vegetarians who care for the welfare of animals and long for the taste of meat. Currently, one of the biggest problems is the price of such breeding. Meanwhile, the cost of our product when used on a large scale can be quite affordable, explain the creators of the preparation.
The dissemination of LifeGel may also mean that laboratory animals will be used on a smaller scale. Although this will not make the animals completely disappear from laboratories, their numbers could decrease significantly.
Will the invention of Polish people revolutionize the fight against cancer? Time will tell.