Novel Photoconductive Life Science Research Innovation Enables Rapid, Reproducible, and Non-Invasive Cellular ...( From Neurons to Beyond; Advancing...),Health

From Neurons to Beyond; Advancing the Frontiers of Life Science Research Toward Realizing Healthcare Solutions in Areas of Clinical Need Such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and Autism

BOSTON, Sept. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Neurosilicon (http://www.neurosilicon.com) has announced the availability of their innovative Photoconductive Stimulation Device (PSD). The PSD allows researchers to induce rapid, non-invasive activation of excitable cells, such as neurons. This novel research innovation will enable researchers to significantly expand the depth, breadth, and complexity of experimental research approaches aimed at understanding and addressing areas of unmet healthcare need such as in Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's, and Autism. The PSD makes use of a property called the Photoconductive Stimulation Effect (PSE). This novel device is based on the PSE principle that states when visible light strikes silicon in combination with a specific current, a local field potential (LFP) is generated. This LFP can be harnessed to initiate depolarization in excitable cells without causing any damage to the cell. Further, the PSD induced depolarization can be applied at user-definable frequency, intensity, and duration, further extending experimental variation, design, and control. Taken together, the PSD will enable laboratory researchers and industry technicians to depolarize excitable cells in a highly targeted and readily reproducible manner significantly extending the breadth and depth of experimental protocols, as well as enabling high throughput testing, sample screening, and drug discovery.

This technology provides researchers with the means to dynamically study excitation dependent cellular responses without the requirement for a direct physical link to the cell (such as with electrodes used for patch clamping or transistor contact necessary for use with micro electrode arrays). The non-invasive, optical
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