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Home > News > Herding cells with electricity

Herding cells with electricity

Berkeley Engineer Fall 2014
November 1, 2014 by Jennifer Huber
This article appeared in Berkeley Engineer magazine, Fall 2014
  • In this issue

    Features

    Freedom phones

    Body mechanics

    Where vision meets know-how

    Dean’s Word

    Upfront

    • Launching ‘dev eng’
    • The big picture: Averaging Internet images
    • Smarter stethoscopes
    • Q+A with Grace O’Connell
    • STEM pipeline: Girls in Engineering
    • Comments

    Breakthroughs

    • Great optics: Harnessing light for circuitry 
    • Sight for sore eyes: Vision-correcting display technology
    • Rejuvenating old muscles
    • Evolutionary algorithms
    • Herding cells with electricity

    Alumni notes

    • Smart spoons
    • Measuring DNA health
    • Farewell

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Cells sorted by electrical current into the shape of a bearDrawing inspiration from sheep dogs that herd their flock, researchers are now able to similarly herd biological cells for tissue engineering. Led by associate professor Michel Maharbiz from electrical engineering and computer sciences and bioengineering graduate student Daniel Cohen, the researchers found that an electrical current can orchestrate the migration of groups of cells. By applying electrical current to single layers of epithelial cells (binding cells that line organs and body cavities), they were able to herd cells from side to side or to make U-turns. With stencils, they sorted cells into shapes—including the familiar shape of the Cal bear—and investigated effects on electrified cell motion. One application of this cell-herding technology could be smart bandages: with a grid of electrodes, bandages could stimulate currents into wounds to expedite healing.

Topics: Research, Bioengineering, Electrical engineering, Faculty
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