Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

BIOELECTRONIC DEVICES

Silicon biointerfaces for all scales

Nature Biomedical Engineering volume 2, pages 471–472 (2018)Cite this article

Subjects

Design principles for the development of silicon biointerfaces enable the non-genetic, light-controlled modulation of intracellular Ca2+ dynamics, and of cellular excitability in vitro, in tissue slices and in mouse brains.

Intercellular and inter-tissue communication within organisms is mediated by signals that are biochemical (small molecules and proteins) and biophysical (mechanical and electrical)1,2. To harness these factors and modulate cellular-signalling processes, optical technologies such as optogenetics3 (the genetic insertion of light-sensitive proteins into cells) can be employed to translate an optical input into a biological response, in particular because light can be manipulated with exquisite spatial and temporal precision. However, these techniques often require genetic manipulation of the target cell or tissue to facilitate precise cellular activation, thereby limiting their use in vivo. Owing to the well-characterized photothermal, optoelectronic and photoacoustic properties of silicon4,5,6, biointerfaces based on this material offer a more amenable alternative for tapping into intracellular and extracellular signalling pathways alike. They can also be used to manipulate genetically unperturbed cells with high spatial and temporal resolutions7. Although Si-based devices can translate an optical stimulus into a targeted cellular response8, the relationship between the physiochemical phenomena occurring at the material/tissue interface and the size and shape of the Si structures remain undefined. This lack of knowledge has curtailed the application of devices based on Si that take full advantage of the material’s physical and chemical properties. Reporting in Nature Biomedical Engineering, Bozhi Tian and colleagues describe a set of quantitative design principles for the development of a range of Si-based biointerfaces with sizes ranging from nanometres to centimetres9. The work provides a foundation for developing Si-based systems aimed at manipulating biological pathways at the organelle, cellular and organ levels.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Get just this article for as long as you need it

$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Si-based biointerfaces enable optical control of cellular signalling at multiple scales.

References

  1. Jaalouk, D. E. & Lammerding, J. Nat. Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 10, 63–73 (2009).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Cogan, S. F. Annu. Rev. Biomed. Eng. 10, 275–309 (2008).

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Deisseroth, K. Nat. Methods 8, 26–29 (2011).

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Cao, L. et al. Nano Lett. 8, 601–605 (2008).

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Walter, M. G. et al. Chem. Rev. 110, 6446–6473 (2010).

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Chen, H. X. & Diebold, G. Science 270, 963–966 (1995).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Zhang, A. Q. & Lieber, C. M. Chem. Rev. 116, 215–257 (2016).

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Kotov, N. A. et al. Adv. Mater. 21, 3970–4004 (2009).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Jiang, Y. et al. Nat. Biomed. Eng. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41551-018-0230-1 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Tian, B. A. et al. Science 329, 830–834 (2010).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Park, S. et al. Nat. Neurosci. 20, 612–619 (2017).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Park, S. I. et al. Nat. Biotechnol. 33, 1280–1286 (2015).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Seongjun Park, James A. Frank & Polina Anikeeva

  2. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Seongjun Park

  3. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Polina Anikeeva

Authors
  1. Seongjun Park
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. James A. Frank
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Polina Anikeeva
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Polina Anikeeva.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Park, S., Frank, J.A. & Anikeeva, P. Silicon biointerfaces for all scales. Nat Biomed Eng 2, 471–472 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41551-018-0268-0

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41551-018-0268-0

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing