Computational biophysical modeling to probe into Bioelectronic medicine

Faculty: Bikramjit Basu (MRC), V. Kumaran (ChE)

In several published experimental studies, the synergistic interactions of the biomaterial substrate conductivity (electroactivity) and electric field stimulation in modulating the stem cell fate processes, in vitro have been established [1]. In a past collaboration, we made attempts to determine the bioelectric stresses in the intracellular and extracellular region around a cell under vertical electric field stimulated culture conditions [2]. It is important to rationalize such experimental results, with bioelectric stresses as one of the biophysical pathways to regulate the stem cell fate processes.

Built on these prior studies, this project will explore to solve Poisson’s equation to quantitatively incorporate the substrate conductivity as one of the key variables in determining the intracellular and extracellular stresses, under the parallel electric field-stimulated culture conditions. One can further take the output of such analytical solution as an input to the initial calculations to understand the role of such stresses on the growth of focal adhesion complexes as well as its subsequent impact on the transport of the key gene regulatory proteins involved in the mechanotransduction processes. Taken together, the proposed project would provide a holistic understanding of the biophysical basis of the role of electric stimuli on stem cell fate processes.

References:

1. Sharmistha Naskar, Viswanathan Kumaran, Y. S. Markandeya, B. Mehta, Bikramjit Basu, Neurogenesis-on-Chip: Electric field modulated transdifferentiation of human mesenchymal stem cell and mouse muscle precursor cell coculture; Biomaterials 226 (2020) 119522.

2. K Ravikumar, V. Kumaran, Bikramjit Basu, Biophysical implications of Maxwell stress in electric field stimulated cellular microenvironment on biomaterial substrates;  Biomaterials 209 (2019) 54-66.