Researchers Discover How To Control Human Genes With Electricity

Termed as a crucial “missing connection,” a group of scientists has crafted an “electrogenetic interface” designed to manipulate genes. This initial project utilizes a device powered by batteries that dispatches electric currents, triggering a reaction within a specified gene. The team behind this research envisions that the electrogenetic interface method holds promising prospects for upcoming gene or cell treatments.

The power of electricity, if harnessed responsibly, can be remarkable, and it appears the researchers from ETH Zurich have mastered its usage. They purport to have established a groundbreaking prototype of something referred to as an “electrogenetic interface,” a system employing electricity to dictate the function of genes.

In the prestigious Nature journal, the team articulated that their findings offer the essential “missing connection” that may pave the way for the invention of wearable technology capable of gene control, particularly with a concentration on combatting human ailments via gene or cell therapy.

The authors assert, “We foresee this innovation facilitating the development of wearable electrogenetic instruments that can directly orchestrate metabolic treatments.”

Clarifying the distinctiveness between electronic and biological systems, the authors said, “The gap in functional communication stems from the drastically different functioning of biological and electronic systems. Biological systems are analog, governed by genetics, gradually altered by evolution, and regulated by ion flow through insulated barriers. In contrast, electronic systems are digital, manipulated by frequently modifiable software, and regulated by electrons traveling through insulated conductors.”

These two domains converge in the Direct Current-Actuated Regulation Technology (DART), an electrogenetic interface that melds the digital and analog, employing electric current to induce particular gene reactions. “Electrogenetic interfaces that could permit electronic gadgets to manipulate gene expressions remain the lacking connection in the quest for complete compatibility and integration between the electronic and genetic realms,” the research noted.

This study extends the findings of a 2020 report in Science that revealed how electricity could affect implanted human pancreatic cells in mice with type 1 diabetes. Both the 2020 device and this new invention aimed to restore mice’s blood glucose levels to normal—and they succeeded.