Researchers at UMass Amherst have developed a groundbreaking pH-modulating device inspired by the synchronization of WWI fighter aircraft, enabling precise real-time control of a cell’s pH environment to study its behavior, critical for medical applications such as cancer and heart disease therapies and tissue engineering. The device can manipulate pH changes with a remarkable resolution of 0.1 pH units, significantly surpassing previous methods which only achieved 0.6 pH units.
The innovative design addresses challenges in measuring pH while altering it, taking inspiration from aircraft technology that synchronizes gunfire and propeller movement to avoid collisions. By temporarily turning off the current that adjusts pH, researchers created a brief window for accurate measurement without interference.
Testing on the bacteria Bacillus subtilis revealed decreased movement in more basic environments, while heart cells showed increased heartbeat frequency when exposed to acidic conditions, underscoring the device’s potential in understanding metabolic acidosis and tachycardia. This research opens avenues for bioelectronics, tumor therapy, and regenerative medicine, providing significant new tools for scientific exploration. The study is detailed in Nano Letters and supported by the U.S. Department of Defense.
