Liu Lab · Living Electrodynamics
Research
Every living cell carries a voltage. Ion channels, pumps and gradients turn cells and tissues into electrical materials that sense, signal and shape themselves, and these states are maintained far from equilibrium. We ask what electrical states living matter can adopt, how they emerge, and how they guide sensing and form, combining quantitative experiments, live voltage imaging and physical theory.
These themes are starting points rather than boundaries. The questions under each one are examples of what we find exciting, and we expect new members to bring questions of their own.
Electrical Dynamics of Living Tissues
How do tissues use electrical signals to sense damage and coordinate growth?
In regenerating zebrafish fins, we found that injury triggers a fast, organ-wide bioelectric response coupled to calcium signalling and growth. We use regeneration as a window onto how electrical states spread, persist and feed back on the form of a tissue.
Questions we are curious about, among others
- How far, and how fast, does an electrical signal travel through a tissue, and what sets its range?
- Can tissues remember an electrical event, and for how long?
- Are there shared electrical rules across organs and organisms?
Nonequilibrium Physics of Bioelectric States
Which electrical states does living activity make possible?
Living electrical systems are continuously driven by ion pumps, channels and metabolism. Together with theory collaborators, we study the states this activity makes possible, such as excitable waves, switches and spatial patterns, and how cells move between them. We combine experiments with modelling and data-driven inference to extract physical rules from voltage dynamics.
Questions we are curious about, among others
- What can fluctuations in a voltage signal reveal about the processes driving it?
- Can coupled ions, such as voltage and calcium, form patterns on their own?
- Which physical rules can we learn directly from voltage movies?
Synthetic Bioelectricity
Can we build bioelectric function from the bottom up?
We assemble electrical elements, from channels to engineered cells to tissues on chips, into collective systems, and characterise which states emerge at each scale. Building lets us test which ingredients are sufficient, and design physical perturbations that expand what living systems can sense and how they shape themselves.
Questions we are curious about, among others
- What is the simplest system that shows a given electrical behaviour?
- Can we program electrical patterns, and use them to guide shape?
- How can electrical states be read out to sense molecules or forces?
Have a question that does not fit here?
Some of our best projects may not belong to any theme yet. If you are curious about how living matter uses electricity, from molecules to organisms, we would love to hear your idea.
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