video transcript

STORY: Using the tip of glass pointer, scientists are activating these microscopic sheets of plastic to fold into 3 dimensional shapes, a process they call micro-origami. The researchers grew connective tissue cells on the seams of origami designs, allowing them to harness the traction force of the cells to fold the plastic sheets into different shapes. In another experiment, the researchers used rat heart cells to shape these tiny origami structures. The team hope that using the power of cells to fold 3 dimensional shapes could one day lead to the engineering of artificial tissue like blood vessels... as well as lay the ground work for new types of medical devices like stents, that could be activated to fold into shape inside the human body.