Difference between revisions of "Team:KU Leuven/Description"
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| − | + | <p> About how the hearth works. How it adapts to stimuli etc.</p> | |
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| − | + | <p> About how the rhythm in the heart works. And in different pacemaker cells. Also on how they adapt to stimuli etc.</p> | |
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| − | + | <p> About what we aim to measure and how we can work towards it. Different ways on how we could measure in our project.</p> | |
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Revision as of 14:03, 6 September 2017
Project
HEKcite! Inspired by the human heart rhythm, we aim to create an electrophysiological oscillator from eukaryotic cells. Rhythmic contraction of heart cells is coordinated by a small group of cells located in the sinus node, which have an intrinsic frequency of de- and repolarization. This frequency of electrical oscillation is influenced by environmental parameters as well as certain molecular substrates. The oscillator that we aim to create consists of genetically modified excitable Human Embryonic Kidney (HEK) cells, altered to contain the intrinsic pacemaker ability found in sinus cells. As witnessed in heart cells, the rhythm would be dependent on substrate-activated ion channels in the membrane. As there is a great variety of ion channels available in nature, the oscillator could be modified to measure concentrations of many specific substrates. By integrating a certain ion channel into the oscillating system, specificity for a substrate can be chosen. Building an electrical oscillator from cells has several advantages. Intra- or extracellular changes that influence the conductance of ion channels in the membrane have an immediate impact on the frequency of oscillation. Once these cells are connected to each other (by for example gap-junctions), they generate an electrical signal that can easily be measured from a distance and non-invasively—similar to the way electrocardiography (ECG) and electroencephalography (EEG) measure electrical activity in the heart and brain. A multi-purpose sensor suitable for this system could be developed for medical and biotechnological applications. One such application is the measurement of drugs that interact with ion channels, such as antipsychotics, anti-epileptics or a certain class of immunosuppressants.
Inspired by the heart
We drew our inspiration from the versatility and robustness of the heart. It beats continuously over the years, rapidly adapting its pace when necessary.
Creation of rhythm
Given our knowledge about heart currents, we hypothesized it would be possible to recreate a steady rhythm in a non-excitable cell using only three ion channels.
Biosensing
Finally, we aim to influence the pace by varying concentrations of biological effectors. Our main focus is establishing a new form of therapeutic drug monitoring.
