This chapter presents the concept of employing light as a tool to modulate the behavior of biological systems. In Sect. 1, a brief historical and scientific overview of light modulation of living systems, starting from the eighteenth century and reaching current days with the most recent progress in the field of bioelectronics is given. Then exogenous light stimulation approaches and the employment of bio-hybrid interfaces based on semiconducting polymers are described. In Sect. 2, the main features of widely used semiconducting polymers are detailed. Moreover, two key examples illustrating how light-sensitive bio-hybrid interfaces can be used for the control of cell proliferation as well as for the realization of an artificial retina model are exhaustively presented in Sects. 3 and 4. By the end of the chapter, the main elements and principles of light modulation of biological/semiconductor interfaces are explained. Finally, a discussion on the key concepts is included to show the relevant achievements and the thrilling future perspectives.
Ciocca, M., Petti, L., Lugli, P., Camaioni, A., Brown, T.m. (2026). Light Modulation of Biological/Semiconductor Interfaces for Affecting Cell Growth and for Advancing Artificial Retina Development. In Nanostructured Biomaterials and Their Applications (pp. 389-414). Springer [10.1007/978-3-032-16316-5_14].
Light Modulation of Biological/Semiconductor Interfaces for Affecting Cell Growth and for Advancing Artificial Retina Development
Ciocca, Manuela;Camaioni, Antonella;Brown, Thomas M.
2026-09-02
Abstract
This chapter presents the concept of employing light as a tool to modulate the behavior of biological systems. In Sect. 1, a brief historical and scientific overview of light modulation of living systems, starting from the eighteenth century and reaching current days with the most recent progress in the field of bioelectronics is given. Then exogenous light stimulation approaches and the employment of bio-hybrid interfaces based on semiconducting polymers are described. In Sect. 2, the main features of widely used semiconducting polymers are detailed. Moreover, two key examples illustrating how light-sensitive bio-hybrid interfaces can be used for the control of cell proliferation as well as for the realization of an artificial retina model are exhaustively presented in Sects. 3 and 4. By the end of the chapter, the main elements and principles of light modulation of biological/semiconductor interfaces are explained. Finally, a discussion on the key concepts is included to show the relevant achievements and the thrilling future perspectives.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
