Researchers claim bioelectronic breakthrough
1 min read
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry in Munich believe they have shown that bioelectronic hybrid systems are no longer a utopian vision. In the journal Angewandte Chemie, they describe the coupling of a receptor to a silicon chip by means of a cell–transistor interface. The work is said to have application in drug testing.
According to the research team, many receptors are coupled to ion channels within cell membranes. When the corresponding ligand binds to its receptor, the channel is opened, allowing ions to stream into the cell. Whilst this stream of ions can be measured with a few tiny electrodes using the patch-clamp technique, the cell is destroyed.
However, the team – headed by Peter Fromherz – has shown that things can be different. Its noninvasive sensor involves coupling the ion stream directly to a microelectronic device by means of a direct cell–chip contact.
The test subject was the serotonin receptor, a protein that resides in the membrane and plays an important role in the nervous system. Blockers specific to this receptor are used clinically to reduce the nausea that results from chemotherapy and for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome. The scientists allowed cells with many serotonin receptors in their membranes to grow onto a silicon chip with a linear arrangement of many transistor switches.
The voltage in this cell is controlled with a special electrode. If serotonin is then applied, the ion channels open and a stream of ions flows into the cell. The resulting transistor voltage is proportional to the current across the membrane.