Soft, Stretchy ‘Jelly Batteries’ Inspired by Electric Eels

The AHA! Team — Thu, 25 Jul 2024 08:12:50 +0000

University of Cambridge via EurekAlert! – Researchers have developed soft, stretchable ‘jelly batteries’ that could be used for wearable devices or soft robotics, or even implanted in the brain to deliver drugs or treat conditions such as epilepsy. The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, took their inspiration from electric eels, which stun their prey with modified muscle cells called electrocytes. Like electrocytes, the jelly-like materials developed by the Cambridge researchers have a layered structure, like sticky Lego, that makes them capable of delivering an electric current. The self-healing jelly batteries can stretch to over ten times their original length without affecting their conductivity The first time that such stretchability and conductivity has been combined in a single material. The results are reported in the journal Science Advances. The jelly batteries are made from hydrogels: 3D networks of polymers that contain over 60% water. The polymers are held together by reversible on/off interactions that control the jelly’s mechanical properties. The ability to precisely control mechanical properties and mimic the characteristics of human tissue makes hydrogels ideal candidates for soft robotics and bioelectronics; however, they need to be both conductive and stretchy for such applications. “It’s difficult to design a material that is both highly stretchable and highly conductive, since those two properties are normally at odds with one another,” said first author Stephen O’Neill, from Cambridge’s Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry. “Typically, conductivity decreases when a material is stretched.” “Normally, hydrogels are made of polymers that have a neutral charge, but if we charge them, they can become conductive,” said co-author Dr Jade McCune, also from the Department of Chemistry. “And by changing the salt component of each gel, we can make them sticky and squish them together in multiple layers, so we can build up a larger energy potential.” Conventional electronics use rigid metallic materials with electrons as charge carriers, while the jelly batteries use ions to carry charge, like electric eels. Jelly batteries use ions to carry charge, like electric eels The hydrogels stick strongly to each other because of reversible bonds that can form between the different layers, using barrel-shaped molecules called cucurbiturils that are like molecular handcuffs. The strong adhesion between layers provided by the molecular handcuffs allows for the jelly batteries to be stretched, without the layers coming apart and crucially, without any loss of conductivity. The properties of the jelly batteries make them promising for future use in biomedical implants, since they are soft and mould to human tissue. “We can customise the mechanical properties of the hydrogels so they match human tissue,” said Professor Oren Scherman, Director of the Melville Laboratory for Polymer Synthesis, who led the research in collaboration with Professor George Malliaras from the Department of Engineering. “Since they contain no rigid components such as metal, a hydrogel implant would be much less likely to be rejected by the body or cause the build-up of scar tissue.” In addition to their softness, the hydrogels are also surprisingly tough. They can withstand being squashed without permanently losing their original shape, and can self-heal when damaged. The researchers are planning future experiments to test the hydrogels in living organisms to assess their suitability for a range of medical applications. The research was funded by the European Research Council and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Oren Scherman is a Fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge. To read the original article click here.

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Using Electric Current to Directly Control Gene Expression

AHA Publisher — Fri, 29 May 2020 07:00:46 +0000

ETH Zurich via News-Medical Net – A team of researchers led by ETH professor Martin Fussenegger has succeeded in using an electric current to directly control gene expression for the first time. Their work provides the basis for medical implants that can be switched on and off using electronic devices outside the body. This is how it works. A device containing insulin-producing cells and an electronic control unit is implanted in the body of a diabetic. As soon as the patient eats something and their blood sugar rises, they can use an app on their smartphone to trigger an electrical signal, or they can preconfigure the app do this automatically if the meal has been entered in advance. A short while afterwards, the cells release the necessary amount of insulin produced to regulate the patient’s blood sugar level. This might sound like science fiction but it could soon become reality. A team of researchers led by Martin Fussenegger, ETH Professor of Biotechnology and Bioengineering at the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering in Basel, have presented their prototype for such an implant in a new paper in the journal Science. Their study is the first to examine how gene expression can be directly activated and regulated using electrical signals. When testing their approach in mice, the researchers established that it worked perfectly. The Basel-based scientists have a wealth of experience in developing genetic networks and implants that respond to specific physiological states of the body, such as blood lipid levels that are too high or blood sugar levels that are too low. Although such networks respond to biochemical stimuli, they can also be controlled by alternative, external influences like light. “We’ve wanted to directly control gene expression using electricity for a long time; now we’ve finally succeeded.” Martin Fussenegger, ETH Professor of Biotechnology and Bioengineering at the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering in Basel. A Circuit Board and Cell Container Hold the Key The implant the researchers have designed is made up of several parts. On one side, it has a printed circuit board (PCB) that accommodates the receiver and control electronics; on the other is a capsule containing human cells. Connecting the PCB to the cell container is a tiny cable. A radio signal from outside the body activates the electronics in the implant, which then transmits electrical signals directly to the cells. The electrical signals stimulate a special combination of calcium and potassium channels; in turn, this triggers a signaling cascade in the cell that controls the insulin gene. Subsequently, the cellular machinery loads the insulin into vesicles that the electrical signals cause to fuse with the cell membrane, releasing the insulin within a matter of minutes. Coming Soon: the Internet of the Body Fussenegger sees several advantages in this latest development. “Our implant could be connected to the cyber universe,” he explains. Doctors or patients could use an app to intervene directly and trigger insulin production, something they could also do remotely over the internet as soon as the implant has transmitted the requisite physiological data. “A device of this kind would enable people to be fully integrated into the digital world and become part of the Internet of Things – or even the Internet of the Body,” Fussenegger says. When it comes to the potential risk of attacks by hackers, he takes a level-headed view: “People already wear pacemakers that are theoretically vulnerable to cyberattacks, but these devices have sufficient protection. That’s something we would have to incorporate in our implants, too,” he says. As things stand, the greatest challenge he sees is on the genetic side of things. To ensure that no damage is caused to the cells and genes, he and his group need to conduct further research into the maximum current that can be used. The researchers must also optimize the connection between the electronics and the cells. And a final hurdle to overcome is finding a new, easier and more convenient way to replace the cells used in the implant, something that must be done approximately every three weeks. For their experiments, Fussenegger and his team of researchers attached two filler necks to their prototype in order to replace the cells; they want to find a more practical solution. Before their system can be used in humans, however, it must still pass a whole series of clinical tests. To read the original article click here.

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electrical signals Archives - Amazing Health Advances

Soft, Stretchy ‘Jelly Batteries’ Inspired by Electric Eels

Using Electric Current to Directly Control Gene Expression