Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 6
Neurobiology and Cultivation of Olfactory
Receptor Neurons on a Chip
Cheil Moon, Samhwan Kim, Jisub Bae and Gabriele V. Ronnett
Abstract
The continued study of the olfactory system is essential, as elucidation
of its molecular, cellular, and systems neurobiology will undoubtedly reveal a com-
plex interplay that transduces odorant molecule-induced action potentials into odor
information processes in the brain such as the mediation of emotion, memory and
behavior. Additionally, interest in the olfactory system and its potential applications
in the industrial and engineering fields continue to increase. In this chapter, we
describe various aspects of olfactory cells ranging from their cellular structures and
functions to the development of olfactory cell cultivation methods and the applica-
tion of cultivated olfactory cells and bio-engineered cells to various types of bio-
electronic devices. These applications may ultimately facilitate the development of
biomimetic artificial noses.
6.1
Introduction
The mammalian olfactory system has excellent ability to detect and discriminate
thousands of odors with high sensitivity and precision [
1
,
2
]. Over the last decade,
huge interests have been focused on the olfactory system and considerable research-
es have been made to understand the mechanisms from odorants detection in the
olfactory receptor neurons to (ORNs) information processing in the olfactory bulb
(OB). These achievements have inspired researches on the development of artificial
noses using ORNs as a sensor with growing public needs. In this chapter, we will
describe the olfactory system in aspect of neurobiology, cultivation methods, and its
application to the development of artificial noses.
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