Electrokinetics for Analysis and Manipulation of Biological Systems

Electrokinetics for Analysis and Manipulation of Biological Systems

Lewis A. Marshall

Stanford University

Stanford, CA 94305, USA

Electrokinetics effects, effects caused by the movement of ions under electric field, play an important role in biological systems. On the level of individual molecules, electrostatic attraction, repulsion, and shielding can dramatically influence binding between biomolecules. On the cellular level, selective ion transport can create potential gradients that affect cell behavior. At the scale of an individual organism, neurons achieve synchronized control of cells throughout the body by relaying electrochemical signals, and some organisms, such as sharks, can even sense the electric fields around them to navigate the world.

My most recent research activity has been in the area of sample preparation of nucleic acids using isotachophoresis, an electrophoretic technique in which shockwaves focus ions into highly concentrated zones. I have used this electrokinetic technique, in combination with control of sample chemistry, to selectively purify nucleic acids from highly complex samples, including whole human blood. At the same time, I have worked to design better devices to perform this technique by drawing on knowledge of capillarity and microfluidics.

I would like to develop a research program to bring a deep knowledge of electrokinetic phenomena to the study of living biological systems. By using an electrokinetic framework to the study of cell biology and by building microfluidic platforms for cell analysis and manipulation, I hope to bring together a research team that can contribute to our understanding of the basic physiology of neurons and other electrically active cells. Ultimately, I hope to contribute to the technological development of neural interfaces for control of computers and prosthetic devices, which rely on constructing a deep understanding the information that we can receive from electrically active cells.