Description
The proposed project seeks to direct the motion of diffuse mesenchymal cells using static electric fields configured using a controllable electrode array. The goal of the project will be to develop this controllable electrode array to contribute to concurrent research into driven cell motion in Dr. Martha Betancur’s laboratory at Emory University. The intended end use of the final product is in vitro testing and studies regarding cell migration. The generic functionality will flow as follows: the user may specify a particular path or direction along which the cells are desired to travel. This path is then communicated to a simulation software interface which converts the path into a series of static electric fields which will result in the desired motion. This design will serve as a proof-of-concept exploration to demonstrate a deterministic degree of control over directed cell motion. The result will include the ability to direct a cell to make orthogonal turns in three-dimensional space in a brain-like medium. This facilitates the investigation of the potential for linear confinement realized by deterministic 180-degree turns. This project will contribute to the advancement of cancer therapy research for cancers which are particularly difficult to remove via single surgeries. If successful, the envisioned medical applications include long-term wearable electrode arrays which direct cancer cells into operable regions of the brain without implanted technology. Such non-invasive treatments would present a leap forward in the brain cancer treatment landscape.
Department Interdisciplinary
Sponsor Dr. Nassir Mokarram
Advisor Dr. Whit Smith
Primary Email Contact ialm3@gatech.edu
Table # G32

Members

Name Major Hometown
Akiyuki Shigematsu ME Tokyo
David Gonzalez ME St. Augustine
Hannah Huang BME Gainesville
Ivan Lopez Martinez EE Mayaguez,PR
Patrick Hellman CmpE Hickory, NC
Prahlad Iyengar EE West Windsor, NJ