Wireless Bioelectronic Nanosystems for Intracellular Communication

In order for the field of bioelectronics to make an impact on healthcare, there is an urgent requirement for the development of “wireless” electronic systems to both sense and actuate cell behaviour. Herein we report the first example of an innovative intracellular wireless electronic communication system. We demonstrate that chemistry can be electrically modulated in a “wireless” manner on the nanoscale at the surface of conductive nanoparticles uptaken by cells at unreported low potentials. The system is made functional by modifying gold nanoparticles incorporating a Zn-porphyrin, which are taken up by cells and are shown to be biocompatible. It is demonstrated the redox state of Zn-porphyrin modified gold nanoparticles is modulated and reported on fluorescently when applying an external electrical potential. This provides an attractive new “wireless” approach to develop novel bioelectronic devices for modulating and sensing cellular behaviour using intracellular monitoring.