Establishing a technology platform to understand and harness the fundamentals of electrical-cellular interactions for future electro-medicine
Lead Research Organisation:
UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER
Abstract
Electric fields (EFs) are endogenous in biology and are used by cells for communication and interpretation of information in both physiological and pathological conditions. Brain diseases, including cancer and degenerative conditions, along with cardiovascular diseases, are the leading causes of death worldwide and are characterised by malfunctions in electrical activities. Regardless of progress in medical procedures, these conditions remain difficult to fully address, reflecting significant unmet needs. Advancements in the field of bioelectronics have shown that the implications of EFs in biology are many and varied, affecting molecular processes related to growth and development. Despite the critical importance of EFs, observing and localising them in biological system remain a major challenge, hindering progress toward therapeutic interventions.
I have been leading a new area of research in EF-technology for healthcare, which recently led to the discovery of bio-nanoantennae. These bio-nanoantennae can receive external EF inputs and transduce them into biological signalling events, such as apoptosis (programmed cell death). This process occurs selectively in patient-derived cancer cells, sparing healthy cells, which, for the first time, revealed that cancer and healthy cells respond differently to an external EF signal. My team harnessed this extraordinary ability of EFs to enhance the selective delivery of chemotherapeutics in brain tumor cells. Despite these breakthroughs, fundamental knowledge about the interaction of EFs exclusively with cancer cells to influence complex signalling pathways remains lacking. New technology is therefore urgently needed to localise and map EFs around sub-cellular organelles to unveil the mechanistic insights crucial for addressing current and emerging therapeutic challenges.
By means of this fellowship, I will establish a new non-invasive technology platform to detect and localise EFs within cells using an interdisciplinary approach that integrates material chemistry, bioelectronics, biophysics, and cell biology. Intracellular EF nanosensors capable of receiving EFs and converting it into visible light will be created to localise EFs down to ~20 nanometers, referred as quantum converting nanoantennae. A unique map of EF distribution within cancer and healthy cells will be created, driving the discovery of new fundamental knowledge on EF-cellular interactions. These insights will be harnessed to remotely modulate processes such as intracellular transport for targeted electro-therapeutics to enhance the delivery of a range of therapeutics, such as biologics (e.g. nucleic acids), drugs, and nanomedicines. Working with leading scientists, I will devise a flexible bioelectronic patch for non-invasive electro-therapeutics in a pre-clinical brain tumor model for improved therapeutic outcomes. These groundbreaking advancements, along with collaborations with patients, clinicians, and future pharmaceutical partnerships, will position me to pioneer electro-medicine - a therapeutic approach to improve patient quality of life, extending to diseases with unmet needs beyond cancer.
This fellowship aligns with EPSRC’s strategic delivery plan, advancing world-class discovery research with transformative healthcare potential. It supports EPSRC themes in healthcare technologies and advanced materials while contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals of health and innovation. The pharmaceutical and cell biology community will benefit from understanding EF-cell interactions for enhanced therapeutic delivery. Additionally, the bioelectronics field will benefit from pre-clinical demonstrations that combine electronics with nanotechnology to improve efficacy, alongside the methodological advancements disseminated through publications and patents.
This Fellowship will provide momentum to build on my recent scientific breakthroughs, accelerating the innovation of electro-pharmaceutics with translational potential and establishing my team as global leaders in this transformative, under-represented UK field in the UK.
I have been leading a new area of research in EF-technology for healthcare, which recently led to the discovery of bio-nanoantennae. These bio-nanoantennae can receive external EF inputs and transduce them into biological signalling events, such as apoptosis (programmed cell death). This process occurs selectively in patient-derived cancer cells, sparing healthy cells, which, for the first time, revealed that cancer and healthy cells respond differently to an external EF signal. My team harnessed this extraordinary ability of EFs to enhance the selective delivery of chemotherapeutics in brain tumor cells. Despite these breakthroughs, fundamental knowledge about the interaction of EFs exclusively with cancer cells to influence complex signalling pathways remains lacking. New technology is therefore urgently needed to localise and map EFs around sub-cellular organelles to unveil the mechanistic insights crucial for addressing current and emerging therapeutic challenges.
By means of this fellowship, I will establish a new non-invasive technology platform to detect and localise EFs within cells using an interdisciplinary approach that integrates material chemistry, bioelectronics, biophysics, and cell biology. Intracellular EF nanosensors capable of receiving EFs and converting it into visible light will be created to localise EFs down to ~20 nanometers, referred as quantum converting nanoantennae. A unique map of EF distribution within cancer and healthy cells will be created, driving the discovery of new fundamental knowledge on EF-cellular interactions. These insights will be harnessed to remotely modulate processes such as intracellular transport for targeted electro-therapeutics to enhance the delivery of a range of therapeutics, such as biologics (e.g. nucleic acids), drugs, and nanomedicines. Working with leading scientists, I will devise a flexible bioelectronic patch for non-invasive electro-therapeutics in a pre-clinical brain tumor model for improved therapeutic outcomes. These groundbreaking advancements, along with collaborations with patients, clinicians, and future pharmaceutical partnerships, will position me to pioneer electro-medicine - a therapeutic approach to improve patient quality of life, extending to diseases with unmet needs beyond cancer.
This fellowship aligns with EPSRC’s strategic delivery plan, advancing world-class discovery research with transformative healthcare potential. It supports EPSRC themes in healthcare technologies and advanced materials while contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals of health and innovation. The pharmaceutical and cell biology community will benefit from understanding EF-cell interactions for enhanced therapeutic delivery. Additionally, the bioelectronics field will benefit from pre-clinical demonstrations that combine electronics with nanotechnology to improve efficacy, alongside the methodological advancements disseminated through publications and patents.
This Fellowship will provide momentum to build on my recent scientific breakthroughs, accelerating the innovation of electro-pharmaceutics with translational potential and establishing my team as global leaders in this transformative, under-represented UK field in the UK.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Akhil Jain (Principal Investigator / Fellow) |