Cell electrical stimulation

Grant Number: ECCS No. 1625544

Name: MRI: Development of an Instrument for Single Cell Electrical Stimulation and Analysis

Start Date: Sep 1st, 2016

Investigator(s): Jiang Zhe (Principal Investigator)

Ge Zhang (Co-Principal Investigator)

Abstract

Understanding how the smallest organism unit, a single cell, responds to electrical stimulations is vital for developing precision electrical stimulation treatments for tissue repair, inventing novel conductive biomaterials for tissue regeneration, and identifying new sensitive biomarkers for cancer therapy. Researchers at University of Akron through the Major Research Instrument (MRI) program are working on developing a new instrument to discover and interpret specific responses of single cells to defined electrical stimulations. By integrating the advances in microfluidics and bio-nanotechnology, the instrument will have the following unique capabilities and significances: a) precise delivery of controlled electrical stimulation to single cells, b) collection and analysis of multiple types of molecules secreted by cells, c) direct assessment of resultant single cell responses without the interfering signals from surrounding cells, tissues or substances, and d) "touch free" cell manipulation during the stimulation procedure, avoiding enzymatic, physical treatment of cells. With these unique capabilities, this instrument will advance basic understanding of how cells sense, function, proliferate, and communicate in response to electrical stimulations, which will undoubtedly have transformative impacts on tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, cancer biology, biomaterials and biomimetic devices. The instrument will serve as a major research facility that will build new research and training capacities for faculty members and students at University of Akron, especially for the university's newly created Biomimicry Research and Innovation Center and Integrated Bioscience Ph.D. Program, and benefit bioscience researchers from other research institutes, industry and government laboratories in Akron-Cleveland area. The design concept and the instrument will also provide excellent training opportunities for graduate, undergraduate and K-12 students via course development, University of Akron's "Increasing Diversity in Engineering Academics", and "Women in Engineering" programs.