Biomimetic quantum-dot nanodonuts for membrane voltage imaging

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Our brains are incredible organs. There are around 80 billion neurons that make up our brain, and they need to talk with each other to make our brains work. Interestingly, they do this by using electricity - incredibly, the membrane that gives a neuron its shape can create an electric field that has the same magnitude as a lightning bolt! However, despite the incredibly large signal, it can be extremely difficult to visualise how signals are generated within a single neuron, how these signals propagate to other neurons and spread around large networks. This is because this big lightning bolt-sized signal is confined to the thickness of just a handful of atoms, and positioning a sensor just in the right space is incredibly tricky. In this project, we will take inspiration from natural proteins that sit in the membranes of neurons to develop a method to seamlessly integrate a sensor right where it needs to go to 'see' the electrical signals, and send out a message about it that we can see visually. By harnessing techniques from the computer industry, we will adapt methods that are used to make computer chips, TVs, and other advanced electrical devices to create our bioinspired voltage sensors.These sensors will unlock the ability to visualise how neurons communicate with each other in diverse organisms, complex networks and more. For instance, other cells, such as sperm, are electrically active, and these bioinspired sensors will enable us to see why, and how, these electrical signals impact areas such as fertility. In the end, by taking inspiration from nature and combining it with the power of nanofabrication, this project will unlock a revolutionary new strategy for seeing how our cells use electricity to communicate, and how these communications may get scrambled in the case of injury, disease, or simply old age.