Externally applied radio waves can be used to switch on a modified gene in a mouse, thanks to radiation-absorbing nanoparticles injected into the animal. The technique could enable researchers to activate cells and genes non-invasively.

Jeffrey Friedman at the Rockefeller University in New York and his team coated iron oxide nanoparticles with antibodies so that they bound to a cell-surface protein complex, TRPV1, that admits calcium ions to the cell at a temperature of 42 °C. The researchers used radio waves to heat the nanoparticles, which, in turn, heated TRPV1. Calcium entering the cell activated the gene for an insulin precursor, which had been modified to contain a calcium-sensitive regulatory region.

In live mice, 30 minutes of radio-wave exposure boosted insulin and lowered blood sugar levels.

Science 336, 604–608 (2012)