Compact, lightweight photonic devices observe cellular interaction through the utilization of photons
Revamped Rewrite
Curious about the inner workings of cells? Scientists are! By tracking electrical signals within biological systems, they can better understand cell communication, crucial for diagnosing and treating conditions like arrhythmia and Alzheimer's disease.
But traditional devices struggle to record electrical signals from cells, especially in liquid environments. They usually connect electrodes to amplifiers via wires, limiting the number of recording sites and therefore data collection.
That's where MIT researchers come in! They've developed a innovative biosensing technique that drops the need for wires altogether. These researchers whip up tiny, wireless antennas that use light to detect minute electrical signals.
When electrical changes occur in the surrounding liquid, they mess with how these antennas scatter light. With an array of more than 10,000 antennas, each thinner than a human hair, these scientists manage to measure electrical signals exchanged between cells with extreme precision.
The devices can continuously record cell activity for over 10 hours, aiding biologists in understanding how cells adapt to environmental changes. The long-term benefits? Potential advancements in diagnostics, therapeutics, and novel therapy evaluations.
"Recordings of electrical activity in cells remain a significant challenge," says Benoît Desbiolles, the paper's lead author, who was previously a postdoc at the MIT Media Lab. He is joined by other MIT Media Lab and MIT Center for Neurobiological Engineering heavy hitters in this groundbreaking research.
So,why the DIY approach to cell recording? Researchers skipped the traditional electronic instruments and opted for a solution more bio-friendly: a device that translates electrical signals to light, which can be checked using a common optical microscope.
Their initial efforts combined a polymer called PEDOT:PSS with tiny gold filaments. The goal was to have the gold nanoparticles scatter light when the polymer changed due to electrical activity. But the results were off target.
The researchers made a surprising discovery by removing the gold: the polymer itself showed enough light changes to match the theoretical model. By building on this finding, they developed organic electro-scattering antennas (OCEANs), which work by using the polymer's ability to attract or repel positive ions in the surrounding liquid in response to nearby electrical activity. This changes the polymer's chemical configuration and electronic structure, ultimately altering the way it scatters light.
Shining light onto the OCEANs lets researchers measure the electrical signals within the liquid. Whoa!
Now, about those OCEANs... Although specific information on them is scarce, we can infer a basic understanding of how they operate by examining the principles of organic electronics and bioelectronics. OCEANs likely leverage advanced organic materials and antenna designs for high spatial resolution signal detection in biological systems.
Until more info on these oh-so-intriguing OCEANs surfaces, the mystery surrounding their workings remains unsolved. But, you can bet your bottom dollar that scientists are robotically racking their brains to explain these phenomena and, well, maybe even exploit them further. Fascinating stuff, neh?
- The researchers at MIT are pioneering a new biosensing technique, eliminating the use of wires, to record electrical signals from cells more efficiently.
- By developing organic electro-scattering antennas (OCEANs), these scientists aim to understand cell communication better, potentially leading to advancements in diagnostics and therapeutics.
- The OCEANs work by using a polymer's ability to attract or repel positive ions in response to nearby electrical activity, thereby altering its light scattering properties.
- This innovative technology has the potential to revolutionize medical-conditions research, health-and-wellness, and technology sectors, as it allows for long-term recording of cell activity.
- The principles of organic electronics and bioelectronics suggest that OCEANs may utilize advanced organic materials and antenna designs for high spatial resolution signal detection in biological systems.
