STIR: Novel ionic transistors for the study and manipulation of cellular bioelectric attributes and stress response
Abstract
Cellular functions and intercellular signaling and communications are realized and controlled by ionic kinetics and the resultant intracellular-extracellular ion concentration gradients. Cell s electronic machinery and the intrinsic bioelectric activities are, in turn, responsible for ionic kinetics. Scientific and technical capabilities to nondestructively monitor, quantify, and probe cells bioelectric fields to control ionic kinetics at the cellular level would pave the way for gaining new understandings of cellular and intracellular functions and processes; and would allow us to selectively address and manipulate cells. Despite the paramount scientific potentials of such capabilities, to date, our understanding of ionic kinetics at the cellular level is mostly qualitative; and our ability to utilize ionic activities as a means to manipulate cells is extremely limited. To study ionic interactions in a bioenvironment, the interface of the bioenvironment must be examined directly and nondestructively. Nevertheless, this level of involvement is not possible with electronic devices alone, and it is unmatched by any existing approach. The key technical challenges are the inherent mismatch between the ionic nature of biosystems and the electronic nature of the available devices and the lack of a comprehensive theoretical and practical concept to bridge the ionic-electronic gap. To overcome these challenges, we propose to develop soft ionic transistors with a novel gating mechanism that allows the ionic transistors to act as bidirectional ionic-to-electronic signal transducers and bridge the gap between electronic systems and ionic biosystems. The key novelty of the ionic transistor proposed here is in the gating mechanism that is triggered by the ionic activities of the biosystem. The formation of an ion concentration gradient in the bioenvironment (caused by cells bioelectric activities) polarizes the ionic environment inside the transistor and results in the formation of ionic double layers (IDLs) at the bioenvironment-transistor interface. The transistor will be designed to utilize IDLs for gating; as such, the cells would be integrated and interact with the electronic equipment by switching the ionic transistor ON or OFF. This process is deemed to be bidirectional, such that turning the transistor ON using an external electric potential will result in the formation of an IDL at the transistor-bioenvironment interface, which is expected to polarize the bioenvironment. This capability allows us to dynamically probe and study cells bioelectric field in a well-controlled manner; this capability is unmatched by any existing technology. The proposed project enables unique technical capabilities for continuous and real-time monitoring and manipulation of the bioelectric activities at the cellular level. This is a game-changing capability that makes it possible to study cells bioelectric attributes directly. We will use these capabilities in conjunction with ionizing radiations to study cells behavior under stress. Such cell studies would help improve our understanding of cells bioelectric behavior under stress and the consequences on cells processes and functions. This STIR project creates the foundation for unique capabilities for stimulation and manipulation of cells, comparable to biochemical and genetic approaches.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jan 04, 2023
- Source ID
- W911NF2310020
Entities
People
- Reza Montazami
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- Iowa State University
- United States Army