Cells with an ear for music release insulin
"We will rock you": ETH Zurich researchers are developing a gene switch that triggers insulin release in designer cells by playing certain rock and pop songs.
In brief
- For the first time, researchers are using music, including Queen's global hit "We will rock you," to stimulate insulin release from cells.
- The insulin-producing designer cells were equipped with an ion channel of a bacterium that reacts to mechanical stimuli like sound waves.
- Only direct sonication of the cells at the right volume and pitch triggers insulin release within a few minutes.