New Invention Regulates Nerve Cells Electronically

May 22, 2010

A major step toward being able to regulate nerve cells externally with the help

of electronics has been taken by researchers at Linköping University and the

Karolinska Institute in Sweden. The breakthrough is based on an ion transistor

of plastic that can transport ions and charged biomolecules and thereby address

and regulate cells.

The invention, which opens new avenues for controlling chemical signals, is

being published in the coming issue of the highly ranked scientific journal

PNAS. The authors are Klas Tybrandt and Magnus Berggren of Linköping University,

who developed the invention, and Karin Larsson and Agneta Richter-Dahlfors at

the Karolinska Institute, who have used it in experiments with cultivated nerve

cells.

The four scientists work at the OBOE Research Center, which is dedicated to the

study and regulation of processes in living cells and tissue through the use of

organic electronics.

Previously use has been made of nano-canals and nano-pores to actively control

the concentration and transport of ions. But such components are difficult to

produce and moreover function poorly when the salt content is high, which is a

precondition in interaction with biological systems.

" To get around these problems, we exploited the similarity between ion-selective

membranes plastics that only conduct ions of one charge - and doped

semiconductors, such as silicon. It was previously known that it is possible to

produce diodes from such membranes. We took it a step further by joining two ion

diodes into a transistor, " says Klas Tybrandt, a doctoral candidate in organic

electronics.

When an ion transistor was connected to cultivated nerve cells, it could be used

to control the supply of the signal substance acetylcholin locally to the cells.

The successful result demonstrates both that the component functions together

with biological systems and that even tiny charged biomolecules can be

transported without difficulty.

" Since the ion transistor is made of plastic, it can be integrated with other

components we are developing. This means we can make use of inexpensive printing

processes on flexible materials. We believe ion transistors will play a major

role in various applications, such as the controlled delivery of drugs,

lab-on-a-chip and sensors, " says Magnus Berggren, Onnesjö professor of organic

electronics.

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