Interfacing Live Cells with Artificial Membranes: Synchronization in a Coupled Nonlinear System

本奖项的研究目的是探索内耳毛细胞运动的同步性及其在机械检测整体灵敏度中的作用。PI将创建一个混合系统，其中包含活细胞和功能细胞的生物制剂与人工聚合物膜相连接。这将能够直接测量振荡细胞之间同步的开始和动态。不同材料性质的聚合物膜将被用来改变细胞间连接的强度，它们的大小将会改变，以便耦合不同数量的元素。还将引入模拟毛细胞神经控制作用的电子电路。电压信号将与机械灵敏度测量一起应用于感觉上皮，反馈电路将最大限度地提高制备的响应性。混合制备将提供一个耦合和自适应行为可以独立变化的系统，因此这两个重要元素的作用可以定量评估。听觉系统检测的纳米级灵敏度仍未得到充分解释，这些实验旨在确定我们对其潜在机制的理解中缺失的部分。该项目是构建仿生设备的第一步，该设备可以复制耳蜗的行为，其长期目标是创造一种可植入的人工机械传感器。PI的教育工作旨在通过在课程中引入新课程、本科生研究项目和跨部门讨论论坛，培养研究生和本科生在物理、工程和生物界面的技术。

The research objective of this award is to explore synchronization of motion among hair cells of the inner ear, and its role in the overall sensitivity of mechanical detection. The PI will create a hybrid system, in which a biological preparation containing live and functional cells is interfaced with artificial polymer membranes. This will enable direct measurements of the onset and dynamics of synchronization between oscillatory cells. Polymer membranes of different material properties will be used to allow variation in the strength of inter-cell connections, and their sizes will be varied so as to couple different numbers of elements. Electronic circuits will also be introduced that mimic the role of neural control of hair cells. Voltage signals will be applied across the sensory epithelium in conjunction with the mechanical sensitivity measurements, and a feedback circuit will maximize the responsiveness of the preparation. The hybrid preparation will provide a system in which coupling and adaptive behavior can be independently varied, and hence the role of these two important elements can be quantitatively assessed. Nanoscale sensitivity of detection by the auditory system has still not been fully explained, and these experiments are designed to identify the missing components in our understanding of its underlying mechanisms. The project constitutes the first step towards the construction of a bio-mimetic device that can replicate the behavior of the cochlea, with the long-term goal of creating an implantable artificial mechanical sensor. The educational efforts of the PI aim to train graduate and undergraduate students in techniques at the interface of physics, engineering, and biology, via new courses introduced into the curriculum, undergraduate research programs, and an inter-departmental discussion forum.