Graphene biointerfaces for optical stimulation of cells

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Noninvasive cell stimulation is essential for understanding cellular and system-level functions.
• Existing methods often require genetic modification, limiting broader applications.
• Optoelectronic materials offer potential for novel stimulation techniques.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a noninvasive optical stimulation platform using graphene biointerfaces.
• To demonstrate the efficacy of graphene-based biointerfaces for cell stimulation.
• To explore applications in drug effect evaluation and in vivo cardiac modulation.

Main Methods:

• Utilized graphene's optoelectronic properties for light-to-electricity conversion.
• Developed substrate-based and dispersible graphene-based biointerfaces (G-biointerfaces).
• Performed optical stimulation of cardiomyocytes in vitro and modulated heart activity in zebrafish embryos in vivo.

Main Results:

• Graphene-based biointerfaces enabled efficient optical stimulation independent of light wavelength.
• Stimulation efficiency was tunable by adjusting light intensity.
• Demonstrated in vitro drug effect evaluation and in vivo optical cardiac modulation in zebrafish.

Conclusions:

• Graphene-based biointerfaces provide a versatile platform for noninvasive optical cell stimulation.
• This technology facilitates all-optical drug effect assessment and in vivo physiological modulation.
• The platform holds significant potential for fundamental and translational biomedical studies.