Electroepigenetics

Scientists have created a technology for controlling genetic expression for the "Internet of the body"

Denis Gordeev, Naked Science

For the first time, a team of scientists from the Swiss Higher Technical School in Zurich was able to regulate gene expression using an electric current. This technology can be used to create biomedical implants that can be remotely switched on and off. An article about the study was published in the journal Science (Krawczyk et al., Electrogenetic cellular insulin release for real-time glycemic control in type 1 diabetic mice).

Drawings from an article in Science.

To implement the technique, the authors of the work created an implant the size of a coin. It consists of a printed circuit board and a capsule containing human cells: both parts of the implant are connected by a miniature electrical cable. The device is activated by a radio signal, after which the control board begins to generate an electric current to activate the cells.

Electricity stimulates potassium and calcium channels in the membranes. These channels, in turn, trigger a biochemical cascade that regulates the expression of the insulin synthesis gene, a hormone responsible for the utilization of glucose in the body. The accumulating insulin consists of vesicles-vesicles that merge with the membrane and thus release the hormone from the cell.

The implanted device provides synthesis of the necessary substance, in this case – insulin.

Such an implant can be useful for diabetics. As soon as a person with a similar device implanted under the skin eats something and his blood sugar level rises, he can send a command to activate the implant - for example, through an application on a mobile phone. Soon after, the cells will release the necessary amount of insulin produced to regulate the patient's blood sugar levels. Also, the device can independently take biochemical parameters and activate automatically. 

A study by Swiss scientists has become the first of its kind, showing how the work of genes can be controlled using electrical signals. The authors of the development have tested it on mice and are already planning to test the implant on humans. However, before that, researchers need to develop the most effective way to replace cells in the implant (this should be done every three weeks).

Such devices can give a powerful impetus to the development of the so–called Internet of the body - a large-scale ecosystem of medical devices and sensors. "Such a device would allow people to fully integrate into the digital world," says head of work Martin Fussenegger.

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