Biology Becomes Electric
Biology Becomes Electric
By Mark Dwortzan
From respiration to muscle movement, biological processes beneath the surface of all living things literally pulsate with electricity. By studying bioelectric activity—or by using electrical devices to probe biological systems—researchers at Boston University are discovering a lot about how everything from microbes to men function and malfunction. As a result, they're sparking advances in fields as diverse as early disease detection and sustainable energy technology.
- Tapping the Power of MicrobesAlternative energy proponents tout the hydrogen fuel cell as a new technology that could help reduce global warming and dependence on foreign oil. While hydrogen shows great promise as a cleaner, greener fuel source, refining it into a usable state can be expensive, and accessing supplies may be difficult in some geographic areas. There is, however, a much cheaper and more ubiquitous source of energy for a fuel cell: bacteria.
- Detecting Lung Cancer EarlyThe electronic circuit board analogy not only describes biological processes, but also some experimental equipment used to investigate those processes. Using a DNA microarray whose wafer-like platform resembles that of a computer chip and an electric laser scanning microscope to “read” genetic patterns on the platform, two NIH-funded biomedical researchers in BU's Pulmonary Center, Jerome Brody and Avrum Spira, have devised a promising method to detect lung cancer in its early stages.
- Gauging Muscle DysfunctionResearchers in the NeuroMuscular Research Center (NMRC) have developed an electronic device that measures electrical signals from contracting muscle and may also help to diagnose diseases early. Known as an electromyographic (EMG) signal detector, it enables researchers and clinicians to assess the extent of neuromuscular injury or disability and monitor the progress of rehabilitative therapies by tracking changes in muscle fiber control. The EMG detector acts as an early warning system that may ultimately allow physicians to slow or halt diseases of the central nervous system, such as ALS and Parkinson's, before overt symptoms arise.
- Preventing Premature LaborKathleen Morgan's research aims to better understand how uterine electrical signals trigger premature contractions, and ultimately to facilitate the development of a drug that could delay them. While medical science has improved its track record for keeping premature infants alive over the past three decades, there remains no truly effective way to halt preterm labor and the potentially serious lifelong disabilities that can go with it.
- Upgrading Kidney Stone TreatmentMechanical engineer Robin Cleveland uses an electrical device to intervene in another unwanted biological process: the passing of enlarged kidney stones. Since 1984 American physicians have routinely broken up kidney stones deemed too large to pass easily by firing thousands of pulses at them with an electric-powered, acoustic shock wave device called a lithotripter. While the treatment is noninvasive and typically results in minimal side effects, scientists have determined that it occasionally causes significant soft tissue damage in the kidney, with side effects including kidney failure and hypertension.
