Bio Focus
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Focus GaN thin films encode cell regulatory response for biological communication
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ioelectronics-based computing uses communication between cells through ion exchange to encode and decode information. Brain-machine interfaces establishing a connection between the human brain and an external device are expected to be the future of communication as they would provide accelerated information channeling, long-term data storage, and enable the handling of a large amount of data. Similar to neural networks, the ultimate bioelectronics interface will employ artificial intelligence with biology to continuously sense and process information at discrete locations. To this aim, the first requirement is to develop suitable interfaces that receive and transmit signals between biological entities and synthetic materials. To allow for efficient bridging, these materials should
Substrate
Mitochondria
requires a different way of designing a battery such as the 3D architecture that [maximizes] the material’s capacity in a limited volume. In this work, the authors found an elegant bottom-up, self-assembly
process to fabricate a 3D carbon/sulfur battery with encouraging performance. Their results provide essential insights for the improvement of microbattery development.” Rahim Munir
be good conductors, biocompatible, and applicable to many functions. Thin IIInitride electrodes based on GaN, AlN, or AlGaN are promising options as they are inert, scalable to mass production, and can be functionalized. In work published in a recent issue of Nanoscale (doi:10.1039/c8nr03684e), the research group of Albena Ivanisevic at North Carolina State University has explored how nanostructured GaN thin films can encode the regulatory response of a model organism, the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Yeast cells are particularly suitable for this preliminary work as they are robust and can be cultured in a matter of hours. The first key parameter measured is adhesion of the cells, achieved by coating the GaN films with molecules from the growth medium. Then, the films are functionalized using a UV treatment in a controlled atmosphere and the cell response is assessed again. In the presence of oxygen, a large number of negative
species such as free electrons, OH– and O2– ions increase the surface charge. As a result, the cells tend to cluster into groups of 6–8 cells, which is twice more than in the absence of functionalization. In addition to this macroscopic behavior, the yeast cells exhibit hyperoxia (a state when they are exposed to very high levels of oxygen) after the UV treatment in the presence of O2. This state corresponds to changes in cell gene expression and cell polarization. The surface functionalization therefore directly influences the flux of ions across the cell’s membrane. The impact of the substrate topography and surface charge and chemistry on the response of the yeast could then be used to encode information at the molecular level. “This is our initial report and we are exploring a number of parameters we can change, both
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