FUNCTIONAL ABIOTIC NANOSYSTEMS
First Claim
1. A method of modulating photoreactivity in a cell, comprising:
- incorporating a functional abiotic nanosystem on the surface or in a membrane of the cell.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The invention relates to imparting photoreactivity to target cells, e.g., retinal cells, by introducing photoresponsive functional abiotic nanosystems (FANs), nanometer-scale semiconductor/metal or semiconductor/semiconductor hetero-junctions that in this case include a photovoltaic effect. The invention further provides methods of making and using FANs, where the hetero-junctions bear surface functionalization that localizes them in cell membranes. Illumination of these hetero-junctions incorporated in cell membranes generates photovoltages that depolarize the membranes, such as those of nerve cells, in which FANs photogenerate action potentials. Incorporating FANs into the cells of a retina with damaged photoreceptor cells reintroduces photoresponsiveness to the retina, so that light creates action potentials that the brain interprets as sight.
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Citations
35 Claims
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1. A method of modulating photoreactivity in a cell, comprising:
incorporating a functional abiotic nanosystem on the surface or in a membrane of the cell. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
- 19. A eukaryotic cell comprising a functional abiotic nanosystem.
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33. A method for endowing/recovering photosensitivity in an optic nerve cells comprising:
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introducing a functional abiotic nanosystem to the cell, wherein said functional abiotic nanosystem comprises a nanometer-sized semiconductor/metal or semiconductor/semiconductor hetero-junctions. - View Dependent Claims (34)
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35. A photoresponsive functional abiotic nanosystem, comprising:
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a nanometer-sized particle having a semiconductor end linked to a metal end or a heterologous semiconductor; and a plurality of functional groups attached to the surface of the nanometer-sized particle, wherein when the functional abiotic nanosystem is inserted in the membrane of a cell, the nanometer-sized particle is capable of generating a photovoltage that can depolarize the membrane.
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Specification