Harvard College

University of Chicago

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

University of Illinois

Children's Medical Center Corporation

Clemson University

Musc Foundation for Research Development

Bozhi Tian

Charles M Lieber

Jia Liu

Robert Samuel Langer

Daniel S Kohane

Ping Xie

Tal Dvir

Xiaojie Duan

Francisco Bezanilla

Itzhaq Cohen-Karni

Quan Qing

Yuanwen Jiang

João L Carvalho-de-Souza

Ruixuan Gao

Thomas J Kempa

Ying Mei

Donald R Menick

Xiaocheng Jiang

Erin Adams

Steffen Strehle

Aleksander Prominski

Ramya Parameswaran

Michael G Burke

Kelliann C Koehler

Tan Yu

Menahem Rotenberg

Dylan Richards

This disclosure relates to methods for modulating activity of cells and tissue with materials that are capable of being activated by light, such methods useful for treating diseases. The disclosure also provides devices and systems suitable for use in such methods, particularly devices and systems having oxygen plasma-treated p-type (boron) silicon.

Methods and systems for modulating cellular activation

This disclosure relates to methods for modulating activity of a cell capable of being activated by light and treating diseases with such methods. The disclosure also provides systems suitable for use in such methods, particularly systems having silicon nanostructures.

Described herein are tissues containing semiconductor nanomaterials. In some embodiments, the tissues include vascular cells, cardiomyocytes, and/or cardiac fibroblasts. The tissue may be scaffold-free. In some embodiments, the tissue includes an electrically conductive network. The tissue may exhibit synchronized electrical signal propagation within the tissue. In some embodiments, the tissue exhibits increased functional assembly of cardiac cells and/or increased cardiac specific functions compared to a cardiac tissue prepared using a conventional tissue culture method. Methods of preparing and using such tissues are also described herein.

Cardiac tissues containing semiconductor nanomaterials and methods of preparing and using the same

Provided herein are Si-based materials, methods of making the Si-based materials, and methods for using the Si-based materials. In embodiments, a silicon-based material comprises an aggregate of particles, the particles comprising an ordered array of nanostructures, the nanostructures comprising amorphous silicon, wherein at least some pairs of adjacent nanostructures are connected by one or more bridges comprising amorphous silicon, the one or more bridges extending from the surface of one nanostructure of the pair to the surface of the other nanostructure in the pair.

Amorphous, porous silicon materials and related methods

The present invention generally relates to nanoscale wires and tissue engineering. In various embodiments, cell scaffolds for growing cells or tissues can be formed that include nanoscale wires that can be connected to electronic circuits extending externally of the cell scaffold. The nanoscale wires may form an integral part of cells or tissues grown from the cell scaffold, and can even be determined or controlled, e.g., using various electronic circuits. This approach allows for the creation of fundamentally new types of functionalized cells and tissues, due to the high degree of electronic control offered by the nanoscale wires and electronic circuits. Accordingly, such cell scaffolds can be used to grow cells or tissues which can be determined and/or controlled at very high resolutions, due to the presence of the nanoscale wires, and such cell scaffolds will find use in a wide variety of novel applications, including applications in tissue engineering, prosthetics, pacemakers, implants, or the like.

Scaffolds comprising nanoelectronic components for cells, tissues, and other applications

The present invention generally relates to nanoscale wires and tissue engineering. Systems and methods are provided in various embodiments for preparing cell scaffolds that can be used for growing cells or tissues, where the cell scaffolds comprise nanoscale wires. In some cases, the nanoscale wires can be connected to electronic circuits extending externally of the cell scaffold. Such cell scaffolds can be used to grow cells or tissues which can be determined and/or controlled at very high resolutions, due to the presence of the nanoscale wires, and such cell scaffolds will find use in a wide variety of novel applications, including applications in tissue engineering, prosthetics, pacemakers, implants, or the like. This approach thus allows for the creation of fundamentally new types of functionalized cells and tissues, due to the high degree of electronic control offered by the nanoscale wires and electronic circuits.

Methods and systems for scaffolds comprising nanoelectronic components

The present invention generally relates to nanoscale wires for use in sensors and other applications. In various embodiments, a probe comprising a nanotube (or other nanoscale wire) is provided that can be directly inserted into a cell to determine a property of the cell, e.g., an electrical property. In some cases, only the tip of the nanoscale wire is inserted into the cell; this tip may be very small relative to the cell, allowing for very precise study. In some aspects, the tip of the probe is held by a holding member positioned on a substrate, e.g., at an angle, which makes it easier for the probe to be inserted into the cell. The nanoscale wire may also be connected to electrodes and/or form part of a transistor, such that a property of the nanoscale wire, and thus of the cell, may be determined. Such probes may also be useful for studying other samples besides cells. Other aspects of the invention are generally directed to methods of making or using such probes, kits involving such probes, devices involving such probes, or the like.

Nanoscale sensors for intracellular and other applications

Kinked nanowires are used for measuring electrical potentials inside simple cells. An improved intracellular entrance is achieved by modifying the kinked nanowires with phospholipids.

Bent nanowires and related probing of species

The present invention generally relates to nanotechnology and, in particular, to branched nanoscale wires. In some cases, the branched nanoscale wires may be produced using vapor-phase and/or solution-phase synthesis. Branched nanoscale wires may be grown by depositing nanoparticles onto a nanoscale wire, and segments or 'branches' can then be grown from the nanoparticles. The nanoscale wire may be any nanoscale wire, for example, a semiconductor nanoscale wire, a nanoscale wire having a core and a shell. The segments may be of the same, or of different materials, than the nanoscale wire, for example, semiconductor/metal, semiconductor/semiconductor. The junction between the segment and the nanoscale wire, in some cases, is epitaxial. In one embodiment, the nanoparticles are adsorbed onto the nanoscale wire by immobilizing a positively-charged entity, such as polylysine, to the nanoscale wire, and exposing it to the nanoparticles. In another embodiment, nanoparticles are deposited onto a nanoscale wire by etching the nanoscale wire to produce an H-terminated surface, then exposing the surface to a solution comprising a metal ion, which can be reduced by the surface to form nanoparticles. Segments or branches can then be grown from the deposited nanoparticles to form the branched nanoscale wire.

Branched nanoscale wires

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Chicago, IL, United States of America

Bozhi Tian