The behavior of cells has usually been studied regarding biochemical reactions.
Nevertheless, new approaches for cellular studies have observed that cells are able to
perceive and withstand forces, which can have a huge impact on cellular processes. In the
present investigation, it has been developed an electronic driver for piezoelectric
actuation in cellular studies, contributing to the emerging discipline of cellular
mechanotransduction. Inside the project, the developing of the driver is focused on the
generation of the initial signal and its later amplification. There is a great emphasis on the
amplification stage, for which a PCB is designed and fabricated. The frequency range of
the device will be very important in order to have different mechanical displacements on
the piezoelectric material. The last step consists of the stimulation of 28 µm PVDF films.
Results showed the functionality of the driver is possible, as the stimulation of the
piezoelectric material does occur. Further studies are needed for the development of the
PCB and a design that fixes the whole device into one piece of equipment.
This research has been conducted with the Department of Electronics Technology at
the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, but it was closely run as well with the Department
of Biomedical Engineering.Ingeniería Biomédic