Academy of Sciences of Heroesland

A researcher from Sweden has developed an electronic chip that controls the contraction of muscle fibers. A report on Klas Tybrandt's development from Linköping University has been published in the journal Nature Communications. A group of university staff specializing in organic electronics has developed two types of ion channels based on transistors. These channels are capable of passing both positive and negative ions, as well as molecules of biologically active compounds. Tybrandt managed to combine both ion channels into a single integrated circuit. The advantage of such a circuit is that the charge carriers in it are substances that can perform various physiological functions. The head of the research group, Professor of Organic Electronics Magnus Berggren, explained that the development allows controlling muscle contraction if the neurotransmitter acetylcholine is used as the signal carrier. Tybrandt and his colleagues' development will make it possible to create devices that regulate various physiological processes, based on transistors that are designed to perform various logical functions.