Technology Licensing View

Researchers at the University of South Florida have invented a technique to physically control functions of electrogenic pump molecules in cell membranes by a non-invasively applied oscillating electric field.

Na/K pump molecules are the most common active transporter in the body. They serve to maintain the ionic concentration gradient between the intra- and extra-cellular fluids. Dysfunctions of these pump molecules are directly related to many diseases and emergency processes. The list includes, diabetes, wound healing, hypoxia cell healing, brain, cardiac and aging related diseases. Currently, there is no method available to physically activate the functions of pump molecules in a living system.

To address this need, our inventors have developed a state of the art technique to effectively control the functions of the Na/K pump molecules. This technique involves the application of a non-invasive oscillating electric field to a living system, which results in synchronization of the individual pump molecules, where in, they are “entrained” to work at the same pumping rate and phase. Once the pumps have been synchronized, the oscillating electric field can increase pump currents to many times what occurs under physiologic conditions.

The technique first synchronizes individual random paced pumps which show small net outward currents in responding to the first a few pulses to run at the same pace showing separated outward and inward pump currents. Then by gradually modulating the synchronized pump molecules, the pumping rate can be significantly accelerated.