title: Towards a dynamic clamp for neurochemical modalities.
abstract: The classic dynamic clamp technique uses a real-time electrical interface between living cells and neural simulations in order to investigate hypotheses about neural function and structure. One of the acknowledged drawbacks of that technique is the limited control of the cells' chemical microenvironment. In this manuscript, we use a novel combination of nanosensor and microfluidic technology and microfluidic and neural simulations to add sensing and control of chemical concentrations to the dynamic clamp technique. Specifically, we use a microfluidic lab-on-a-chip to generate distinct chemical concentration gradients (ions or neuromodulators), to register the concentrations with embedded nanosensors and use the processed signals as an input to simulations of a neural cell. The ultimate goal of this project is to close the loop and provide sensor signals to the microfluidic lab-on-a-chip to mimic the interaction of the simulated cell with other cells in its chemical environment.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Mathematics, Washington State University Vancouver, Vancouver, WA 98686, USA. catalina.maria.rivera@emory.edu.|Department of Physics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA. catalina.maria.rivera@emory.edu.
authors.forename: Catalina Maria
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Rivera
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S4L8, Canada. hyuck.jin.kwon0@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Hyuck-Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. alihashmi_87@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hashmi
authors.affiliation: Departments of Mechanical Engineering, Washington State University Vancouver, Vancouver, WA 98686, USA. yugan0000@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Gan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Departments of Mechanical Engineering, Washington State University Vancouver, Vancouver, WA 98686, USA. jiheng.zhao@wsu.edu.
authors.forename: Jiheng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Departments of Mechanical Engineering, Washington State University Vancouver, Vancouver, WA 98686, USA. gaojl1015@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Jianlong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA. jiexu@uic.edu.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ 08028, USA. xuew@rowan.edu.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.affiliation: Departments of Mathematics, Washington State University Vancouver, Vancouver, WA 98686, USA. alex.dimitrov@vancouver.wsu.edu.
authors.forename: Alexander G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Dimitrov
mesh_terms: D015374:Biosensing Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*