The Need

The directional movement of biological cells in the presence of an applied electric field is known as galvanotaxis or electrotaxis. The majority of experiments related to galvanotaxis over the past two centuries have involved steady electric fields applied via electrodes placed in contact with a medium containing cells. A unique twist on galvanotaxis is the application of time-varying magnetic fields in a non-contact manner to induce electric fields. Such a non-contact method could enable, for example, accelerated wound healing by reducing exposure time and susceptibility to infection or mitigating metastases in cancer.

The Technology

The Ohio State University researchers, led by Dr. Vish Subramaniam, have developed a non-contact method for wound healing that employs a time-varying electromagnetic field to accelerate the healing process. The method could also be used to attenuate or slow the metastatic process in cancer. Additionally, the invention is potentially useful in both humans and animals.

Commercial Applications

• Wound care and healing
• Cell motility
• Cancer

Benefits/Advantages

• Non-contact
• Controllable