Platform for Two-Dimensional Cellular Automata Models Implemented by Living Cells of Electrically Controlled Green Paramecia Designed for Transport of Micro-Particles (original) (raw)
2014
Microscopic traffic flow models are a class of scientific models of vehicular traffic dynamics. Here, we attempted to establish an experimental platform for mimicking microscopic traffic flow models at microscopic dimensions. We achieved this, by monitoring the flow of micro-sized particles transported by the motile cells of living microorganisms. Some researchers have described the cells of protozoan species as "swimming neurons" or "swimming sensory cells" applicable to biological micro-electro- mechanical systems or micro-biorobotics. Therefore these cells, in a controlled environment, may form a good model system for bio-implementable cellular automata for traffic simulation. The living cells of the Paramecium species including those of green paramecia (Paramecium bursaria), actively migrate towards a negatively charged electrode when exposed to an electric field. This type of cellular movement is known as galvanotaxis. P. bursaria was chosen as amodel organismsince the ideal micro-vehicles required for micro-particle transport must have a particular particle packing capacity within the cells. The present study establishes that the movement of cells with or without the loading of microspheres (φ, 9.75 μm) can be controlled on a two-dimensional plane under strict electrical controls. Lastly, implementation of microchips equipped with optimally sized micro-flow channels that allow the single-cell traffic of swimming P. bursaria was proposed for further studies and mathematical modeling.
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Members of Paramecium species are often referred to as “swimming neurons or sensory cells” applicable to micro-biorobotics or BioMEMS (biological micro-electro-mechanical systems). Paramecium bursaria known as green paramecia is an unicellular organism that lives widely in fresh water environments such as rivers and ponds. Recent studies have suggested that in vivo cellular robotics using the living cells of green paramecia as micro-machines controllable under electrical, optical and magnetic signals, has a variety of engineering applications such as transportation of micro-sized particles (ingested within the cells) in the capillary systems. In the present study, we aimed to test if the swimming environment of green paramecia can be implementable on microchips. For thi purpose, the series of microchips were prepared for cellular swimming platform for green paramecia through fabrication of poly(methyl methacrylate) master plates using the programmable micro-milling system followed by polydimethylsiloxane-based micro-casting. Finally, microchips equipped with optimally sized micro-flow channels for allowing the single cell traffic by swimming green paramecia were successfully prepared, and thus further studies for application of green paramecium cells in BioMEMS are encouraged.
2012
Some researchers have described the cells of Paramecium species as " swimming sensory cells " or " swimming neurons " applicable to micro-biorobotics and biological micro-electromechanical systems (BioMEMS). Paramecium species including green paramecia (Paramecium bursaria) migrate towards the anodic electrode when exposed to an electric field. This type of cellular movement is known as galvanotaxis. Because the ideal micromachines designed for microparticle transport must have a capacity for loading certain numbers of particles, P. bursaria was chosen as a model organism. In this study, we show enhanced microparticle transport by overcoming (i) the particle size limitation for the cell-mediated transport of microspheres of up to ca. 10 µm size (doubling the size of particles ever reported) and (ii) the limit of cellular migration distance manifested by galvanotactically stimulated cells.
Dynamics Model of Paramecium Galvanotaxis for Microrobotic Application
We propose a dynamics model of galvanotaxis (locomotor response to electrical stimulus) of the protozoan Paramecium. Our purpose is to utilize microorganisms as micro- robots by using galvanotaxis. For precise and advanced actuation, it is necessary to describe the dynamics of galvanotaxis in a mathematical and quantitative manner in the framework of robotics. However, until now the explanation of Paramecium galvanotaxis in previous works has remained only qualitative. In this paper, we construct a novel model of galvanotaxis as a minimal step to utilizing Paramecium cells as micro-robots. Numerical experiments for our model demonstrate realistic behaviors, such as U-turn motions, like those of real cells. Index Terms—Paramecium, galvanotaxis, dynamics, model, microrobot
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