The Software of Life
What is the Electrome?
Biology is based on the interaction and arrangement of electric charges. Different cells are composed by different combinations of charged molecules, giving every cell its unique electrophysical fingerprint. The fingerprint of tissues, cells, and organelles plays a fundamental role in controlling biological processes.
This intricate electrical landscape, vital to our health, is increasingly termed the ‘electrome’.
Technology leads the groundbreaking revolutions in life sciences. Strives in sequencing lead to the advent of the genome age. Advancements in mass spectroscopy & molecular biology allowed metabolomics to enter everyday life. Our advances in electrodynamic cell manipulation will lay the ground for the next revolution in life sciences, the electrome.
At Cellectric, we believe that understanding the electrome is key to pioneering groundbreaking research and supercharging solutions to some of healthcare’s most intractable challenges. By accurately measuring, decoding, and potentially modulating the electrome at the cellular level, we unlock unprecedented opportunities to better diagnose disease, enhance health and save lives.
Cells are Fluent in Electrical Charges – Let’s Speak Their Language
In contrast to chemical or other physical methods used in cell biology, electrodynamics has an immediate mode of action with unparalleled sensitivity. As with the “genome,” the “proteome”, the “microbiome”, we believe understanding of the “electrome” is set to transform our understanding of human health and the way we treat disease.
Seeing Cellectrically
Electrodynamic Cell Manipulation
Electrodynamic cell manipulation is to interact and manipulate the electrophysical fingerprint of cells. In over 10 years of academic research, our studies of cells exposed to electrodynamic fields have revealed unprecedented phenomena that form the basis of our vision for the future of life sciences. Our approach leads to surprising, highly reproducible, and unique cellular responses with unmatched cell selectivity.
This selectivity is a consequence of pure electromagnetic interactions with biology. It makes use of what we at Cellectric call the “Electrome.” Much like how studying the genome and the proteome have brought new understandings of the body, we believe that understanding the cell’s complex bioelectrical network can bring revolutionary new insights and applications to life.
The platform differs from competing technologies in its purely physical mode of action. No current is passed through the sample itself, meaning that only cells you wish to manipulate are affected, a landmark step for many disciplines. In contrast to chemical or other physical methods used in life science, electromagnetic cell manipulation works in a flow-through manner, has an immediate mode of action and easily integrates with existing technologies to empower their capabilities.
Technical Applications
Exposing cells to electric fields has great potential for a wide range of applications. Why are these prospects not reflected in the way we practice life sciences today? We believe it is because electricity and biology don’t speak the same language. Seeing Cellectrically changes that.
- Disrupt unwanted cells
- Transfer molecules in- or out of cells
- Influence the way cells divide and differentiate
Our Innovation
Why the electrome is hidden
When you apply an electric field to a liquid, it encounters electrical current. When electrons enter the liquid, the concise message provided by the electric field dissipates in the form of electrochemical reactions and heat. In other words, the cell receives mixed messages from electric-, ionic- and displacement currents.
Speaking the language of cells
Our technology translates electrical signals to cellular suspensions by redesigning their way of transmission. We insulate metal electrodes with a patented, dielectric material that filters out electric- and ionic currents. Our electrical signal algorithms speak the concise language of displacement currents, so that cells are subjected to pure electrodynamic field effects.
Cell Isolation
Retrieve Target Cells from Complex Samples
Our current solution to sepsis diagnosis isolates viable bacteria and yeasts from human blood samples toward rapid growth detection. Ongoing research investigates the possibility of pathogen isolation from other samples such as synovial fluid, sputum and bronchoalveolar lavage.
Want to explore if we can empower your diagnostic capabilities in these samples? Schedule a call and find out!
We are also working on improving output purity to enable downstream analysis via PCR or DNA sequencing.
Your Challenge
A Wide Range of Functionalities
Our patent portfolio covers a multitude of applications ranging from mammalian cell isolation to cargo delivery and gene transfer. Using our fully automated flow-through device, we make routine life science workflows faster, cheaper and more efficient. Reach out to discover if electrodynamic cell manipulation can empower your capabilities.