Electrical stimulation of cells through photovoltaic microcell arrays

Electrical stimulation may influence cell behavior associated with proliferation, differentiation, and migration, among others. The need for electrical tools to interact with living cells has pushed the technology to progressively develop less invasive devices. Technologies like energy harvesting have enabled wireless biological applications. Here we report the use of a photovoltaic microcell array (PVMA) based on silicon, as a wire-free interface to stimulate single cells with high spatial resolution. We demonstrate the effectivity of this microtool on osteoblast cells. The electrical stimulation triggered intracellular calcium transients as a response in 46% of the cells. The reduced dimension of the PVMA and its capacity to work in visible light show its potential for the wireless life science explorations.