Researchers at Linköping University have succeeded in creating a close connection between individual cells and organic electronics. The study, published in Science Advances, lays the foundation for future treatment of neurological and other diseases with very high precision.

“We could target individual cells and explore how this affected their ability to stay healthy and functional,” says Chiara Musumeci, researcher at the Laboratory of Organic Electronics, LOE, at Linköping University.

The brain is controlled by electrical signals that are converted into chemical substances in the communication between the brain cells. It has long been known that different parts of the brain can be stimulated with the help of electricity. But methods are often imprecise and affect large parts of the brain. Sometimes, metal electrodes are needed to hit the right part of the brain, which entails a risk that the hard electrode instead damages the brain tissue, causing inflammation or scarring.

A solution for treating specific parts of the brain could involve conductive plastics, also known as polymers.

“The goal is to combine biological systems with electrodes, specifically using organic conductive polymers. As polymers are soft and conformable and can transport both electricity and ions, they are preferable to conventional electrodes,” says Chiara Musumeci.

Together with researchers at Karolinska Institutet, the research team at Campus Norrköping has succeeded in anchoring the conductive plastic to individual living cell membranes. This opens up for future precise treatments of neurological diseases.

“At the moment, our results are rather general, which is a good thing, as our future research can explore what types of diseases this important tool would be suitable for. But more research is needed before we can say anything with any certainty,” says Alex Bersellini Farinotti, researcher at Karolinska Institutet.

Previous attempts to anchor organic electronics at the cell surface have been made, but with genetically modified cells that make the membranes more receptive. In their present study, the researchers have not used genetically modified cells and yet managed to achieve a tight coupling without affecting the cell's other functions. This is the first time this has been done.

To succeed, the researchers used a two-step process where an anchor molecule is first used to create an attachment point in the cell membrane. At the other end of the molecule is a structure where the polymer electrode itself can attach.

The next step in the research is to get a more evenly distributed and stable anchoring over the membrane and to see how the polymer coupling behaves over time. Hanne Biesmans is a doctoral student at LOE and believes that there is great potential but also many challenges left to solve.

“We have taken a big step forward now. But we can’t say with any certainty that it will work in living tissue. This is basic research, where we are now trying to figure out the way forward.”

The study was funded by the European Research Council, the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research, the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation and through the Swedish Government’s strategic research area in advanced functional materials, AFM, at Linköping University.