OBOE (Organic BiOElectronics)

Acreo is taking part in the OBOE project funded by the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF) together with groups from Linköping University and Karolinska Institutet. The center director is Magnus Berggren at Linköping University. Linköping University and Acreo have a large competence in the field of organic electronics and the materials used in the field. Karolinska Institutet is a leading expertise in the field of cell and molecular biology, neurobiology and stem cell research. The goal is to combine these research fields and develop an organic bioelectronics platform of tools that offers biologists to answer some long standing questions in biology related to cell-signalling, stem cells and neural interconnects. The three research areas of OBOE is 

• Stem cells: electronic control of cell attachment, differentiation and release events, to understand and regulate cell differentiation.
• Intracellular signalling: coupling between in vivo sensing, signal processing and electronic/electrochemical launching of signal substances (e.g. hormones, ions).
• Neural interconnects: organic electrodes and amplification transistors, which use chemical and electronic signal carriers to communicate with individual and networks of neural cells.

Acreo is working on finding manufacturing routes for the bioelectronic devices included in the OBOE project. The devices we are currently focusing on are the OBOETTE and the screen printed flat ion pump, see the figures. These are characterised towards transport of glutamate and potassium in order to get a better understanding and to be able to specify their performance. When the ion pumps have been characterised they can be distributed to scientists that need spatially and temporally controlled transport of ions/charged molecules. The ion pump offers a unique possibility to translate electronic signalling into chemical messengers such as ions neurotransmitters upon applying an electric potential across the device. These devices provide several sought-after features for regulation of cell signalling: exact dosage determination through electrochemical relationships, minimally disruptive delivery due to lack of fluid flow, and on–off switching. This technology has great potential as a therapeutic platform and could help accelerate the development of therapeutic strategies for nervous-system disorders.