arXiv subjects

Malavika Nair

Publications and source records attributed to Malavika Nair.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Bioelectrical interfaces beyond excitable cells: cancer, aging, and gene expression modulation

The investigation of biological conductivity has evolved from its classical foundation based on ionic fluxes underpinning cardiac and neuronal excitability to a multifaceted regulator of cellular physiology. Traditional approaches for probing electrical events in living matter focused largely on action potentials recording. However, bioelectricity in non-excitable cells governs key phenomena, including developmental patterning, tissue homeostasis, and disease progression. Pioneering studies implicated endogenous bioelectrics in many aspects of morphogenesis, wound healing, regeneration, and cancer. Early findings laid the groundwork for viewing bioelectricity as a means to influence cell fate, cell cycle progression, differentiation, and senescence. More recently, spatial variations in membrane potential within tumor microenvironments were found to correlate with metastatic potential. In parallel, substantial breakthroughs have been achieved in designing advanced bioelectrical interfaces for the study of neuronal networks and cardiac function. This perspective bridges the engineering and biological domains by examining how such technologies might enable new insights into non-excitable cell electrical events at different scales of operation to ultimately manipulate cellular pathways in cancer reprogramming, anti-aging interventions, and gene expression modulation.

q-bio.QM↗

arXiv2025

Ionomeric extracellular matrices for dynamic soft robotic tissue engineering devices through protein sulfonation

Conventional tissue engineering methodologies frequently depend on pharmacological strategies to induce or expedite tissue repair. However, bioengineered strategies incorporating biophysical stimulation have emerged as promising alternatives. Electroactive materials facilitate the provision of controlled electrical, mechanical, and electromechanical stimuli, which support cell proliferation and tissue remodelling. Despite their ability to supply external electrical and mechanical stimuli to the tissue microenvironment, the electroactive polymers in use today often lack critical biochemical signals essential for native-like cell-cell and cell-scaffold interactions, thereby constraining their regenerative capabilities. To address the demand for biomimetic materials that possess enhanced capabilities in promoting cell and tissue stimulation, we present the development of a novel class of polymers called ionomeric extracellular matrices (iECMs). By utilising the linker-mediated conjugation of sulfonic acid biomolecules (taurine) to the backbone of an extracellular matrix protein (collagen), we illustrate the potential of iECMs as the first electromechanical actuating material platform derived entirely from ECM materials, paving the way for dynamic and soft-robotic platforms for a wide range of tissue engineering applications.

physics.med-ph↗