Controlling the movement of cells using electricity sounds like something from a biopunk sci-fi novel. However, scientists from the University of California (UC) Berkeley have demonstrated that it is indeed possible, going so far as to manipulate cells into forming the likeness of the university's bear mascot.
Using an electrical current, the researchers were able to control the flow of cells into a variety of formations. The new development can lead to a variety of real world applications such as "smart bandages" that can help accelerate the healing process for wounds and other injuries. Their findings can also be considered as an important breakthrough in tissue engineering. The team published its findings in the journal Nature Materials.
The research was conducted on epithelial cells, the most numerous type of cell in the human body, arranges in single layers. After applying an electric current with a voltage of five volts for every centimeter of the epithelial cell layer, the researchers discovered that the cells could be manipulated to move in accordance with the electrical field generated by the applied current.
"This is the first data showing that direct current fields can be used to deliberately guide migration of a sheet of epithelial cells," said UC Berkeley Bioengineering graduate student Daniel Cohen. "There are many natural systems whose properties and behaviors arise from interactions across large numbers of individual parts - sand dunes, flocks of birds, schools of fish, and even the cells in our tissues. Just as a few sheepdogs exert enormous control over the herding behavior of sheep, we might be able to similarly herd biological cells for tissue engineering." Cohen is also the lead author of the study.
The process involved in the new study is called galvanotaxis, which refers to the process of directing cell movement using electricity. While galvanotaxis has been used in previous experiments to control individual cells, Cohen and his colleagues were the first team to successfully demonstrate the application of galvanotaxis on a group of cells.
"The ability to govern the movement of a mass of cells has great utility as a scientific tool in tissue engineering," said UC Berkeley associate professor and study senior author Michel Maharbiz. "Instead of manipulating one cell at a time, we could develop a few simple design rules that would provide a global cue to control a collection of cells."
Given that electricity plays a huge part in the normal functions of the human body, using electrical currents to stimulate healing has been explored by many scientists in the past. However, the new study shows that it is possible to use electricity to precisely control the movement of cells. Further research into the subject matter could bring about numerous developments that can help accelerate and improve a large number of medical techniques.
