11-11-22. Congratulations to Corey on his recent collaborative publication, Voltage imaging reveals the dynamic electrical signatures of human breast cancer cells Commun Biol. 2022 Nov 11;5(1):1178. doi: 10.1038/s42003-022-04077-2. Peter Quicke, Yilin Sun, Mar Arias-Garcia, Melina Beykou, Corey D Acker, Mustafa Djamgoz, Chris Bakal, Amanda J Foust. Recent studies at the Imperial College London and The Institute of Cancer Research, London uncovered large voltage fluctuations in breast cancer cells. Remarkably, these voltage fluctuations resemble very slow, upside-down versions of action potentials, which are electrical signals inherent in brain and heart cells. Voltage-sensitive dyes were provided by UConn’s start-up company Potentiometric Probes and Dr. Acker assisted with imaging methods, including ratiometric voltage imaging, to detect the voltage fluctuations reliably. The underlying mechanisms and role that these fluctuations might play in cells transitioning to being cancerous are intriguing open questions and avenues of future research.
Please read Imperial College London’s article on this new discovery, “Scientists uncover potential ‘electrical language’ of breast cancer cells“.