Pohan Chiang | Bioelectronics at MIT

Controlling drug activity with light

Thu, 17 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Hormones and nutrients bind to receptors on cell surfaces by a lock-and-key mechanism that triggers intracellular events linked to that specific receptor. Drugs that mimic natural molecules are widely used to control these intracellular signaling mechanisms for therapy and in research.

In a recent publication, a team led by MIT Associate Professor Polina Anikeeva, a McGovern Institute for Brain Research Associate Investigator, and Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) Research Assistant Professor James Frank introduce a microfiber technology to deliver and activate a drug that can be induced to bind its receptor by exposure to light.

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In vivo photopharmacology enabled by multifunctional fibers

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Remotely controlled proton generation for neuromodulation

Mon, 10 Aug 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Mechanical Way to Stimulate Neurons

Sun, 19 Jul 2020 00:00:00 +0000

In addition to responding to electrical and chemical stimuli, many of the body’s neural cells can also respond to mechanical effects, such as pressure or vibration. But these responses have been more difficult for researchers to study, because there has been no easily controllable method for inducing such mechanical stimulation of the cells. Now, researchers at MIT and elsewhere have found a new method for doing just that.

The finding might offer a step toward new kinds of therapeutic treatments, similar to electrically based neurostimulation that has been used to treat Parkinson’s disease and other conditions. Unlike those systems, which require an external wire connection, the new system would be completely contact-free after an initial injection of particles, and could be reactivated at will through an externally applied magnetic field.

The finding is reported in the journal ACS Nano, in a paper by former MIT postdoc Danijela Gregurec, Alexander Senko PhD ’19, Associate Professor Polina Anikeeva, and nine others at MIT, at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and in Spain.

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Magnetothermal Multiplexing for Selective Remote Control of Cell Signaling

Fri, 10 Jul 2020 00:00:00 +0000

In situ electrochemical generation of nitric oxide for neuronal modulation

Mon, 29 Jun 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Magnetic Nanodiscs Enable Remote Magnetomechanical Neural Stimulation

Fri, 19 Jun 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Magnetic Vortex Nanodiscs Enable Remote Magnetomechanical Neural Stimulation

Fri, 19 Jun 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Transgene-free remote magnetothermal regulation of adrenal hormones

Wed, 01 Apr 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Remotely controlled chemomagnetic modulation of targeted neural circuits

Mon, 19 Aug 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Scalable Fabrication of Porous Microchannel Nerve Guidance Scaffolds with Complex Geometries

Thu, 06 Jun 2019 00:00:00 +0000