Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
sensory, mental and emotional experiences through the nervous system, while
consciousness seems to transcend space and time, not being bound to the brain
activity.
In all living cells, biochemical and molecular reactions are fundamentally
electrical interactions. Using electromagnetic fields of different frequencies to
probe the structure and function of whole single cells or entire populations of
cells is a non-invasive, and integrative method for understanding subtle cellular
mechanisms and offers valuable information on the complex behavior of living
cells. Cellular biosensors based on innovative novel approaches in electrical
impedance spectroscopy, scanning Kelvin microscopy as well as in vibrational
acoustical and optical techniques constitute new, label-free and non-invasive
platforms for measuring the transduction and processing of cellular signals.
Since each cell can be modeled as a miniature resonant electrical circuit, slight
changes in cytoplasm resistivity and membrane capacity can be detected and
evaluated in parallel to classical bioanalytical assays.
Energy vibrations of different wavelengths can discern intricate relaxation
processes originating in the reorientation of dipole moments of biomolecules in
alternate fields and in the variation of dielectric properties of cells and their
different constituents. Work function variations induced by chemical pertur-
bation can reflect alterations in cell behavior at submolecular level due to
compounded fluctuations of electrical charges and dipolar rotations. The
applications are innumerable, ranging from fundamental studies on morpho-
logical and structural changes that occur under different physical, chemical,
pharmacological and biological stimuli or under specific micro-environmental
conditions, to detecting ionic mechanisms such as ionic channels opening,
immunological relevant cell modifications by antigen-antibody interactions
taking place on the cell surface, measuring cell viability and monitoring cell
growth, discrimination of leucocytes and red blood cells, discrimination of
normal and malignant cells, stem cells differentiation, cell-cell communication
in neuron cultures grown on the surface of
d n 4 t 3 n g | 2
n 3 .
the biosensors, and tissue
regeneration.
5.2 The Vibrational Field as a Neural Sensor Platform
Detection methods applied in cellular biology are, by their nature, extremely
interdisciplinary in character. This is especially the case for cellular biosensors
which are based on the work of highly multidisciplinary teams that include
individuals with the passion and scientific curiosity to investigate apparently
diverse sciences such as physics, chemistry, biology and medicine, and also
engineering, instrumentation, microsystem technologies, microelectronics and
so on. A key feature of research in this area is the bridging of gaps formed by
traditional specialization of modern scientific endeavors. Using vibrational
fields to detect molecular behavior and cellular events represents the state-
of-the-art in the field of modern detection science. Electromagnetic and
acoustic fields of variable frequencies are perfectly non-invasive and label-free
techniques to monitor and record in real time cell characteristics, structural
 
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