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Next-gen micropillars for investigating oligodendrocyte myelination

Nature Methods (2026)Cite this article

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Tunable hydrogel-based micropillar arrays are fabricated to model the biomechanical cues of size, shape and rigidity characteristic of axons. These next-gen micropillars allow the exquisite examination of the cell biology of oligodendroglia, resolving the myelinogenic potential, myelin extent and kinetics of wrapping in a cell-autonomous manner.

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Fig. 1: Hydrogel-based micropillar arrays.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Histology and Embryology, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing Key Laboratory of Brain Development and Cognition, Chongqing, China

    Feng Mei

  2. Department of Neurology, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Jonah R. Chan

  3. Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Jonah R. Chan

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  1. Feng Mei
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  2. Jonah R. Chan
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Correspondence to Jonah R. Chan.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Mei, F., Chan, J.R. Next-gen micropillars for investigating oligodendrocyte myelination. Nat Methods (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41592-026-03041-w

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