Team Venus: Meeting 2

Team Venus met with Dr. Wasser last Wednesday to discuss our team’s progress. When we came into the meeting, we did not know much about the membrane potential or how it affected muscle cells. After the meeting, however, we had gained the much needed knowledge to pinpoint the areas we needed to research. We learned that the cell membranes of muscle cells have to undergo action potential, in which the inside membrane potential has to start negative, change to positive, and then change back to negative. This action is necessary for muscle contraction. The motor neurons, attached to muscle cells through a motor endplate, are also involved in this process. So, the nanomachine we design has to be able to know when to contract the muscle. In order to do that, we need to devise some way to monitor the motor neuron’s activity. We also need to think about how to get the machine to a specific location because we will need it to go to the cell, find the motor neuron, and do its job.

The meeting also addressed other, non-specific aspects of the nanodevice. First of all, it needs to be an actual device, so I think that means our gene-splicing idea is no longer acceptable. Also, we need to do research and find out how tiny our device should be. Lastly, there is the topic of materials. The materials we use must be biocompatible, which could involve incorporating some biological components like phospholipids, proteins, and antibodies. For now, we have decided to continue with our research by finding specifics on the role of the action potential in muscle cells and the role of the motor neurons. After we study and understand this process, we will be better prepared to create a device design.