Speaker
Description
The discovery of extracellular vesicles (EVs) and their ability to carry cargo such as DNA, RNA, and proteins has revolutionized biomedical research. Their role as mediators of intercellular communication, and their involvement in disease development, along with their abundance in every cell make them an interesting target for studying possible effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF EMF) related to neurodegeneration and other diseases.
Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hu-iPSC), namely wildtype (WT) and poly(ADP-ribose)-polymerase 1 (PARP1) knock-out (KO) cells, are exposed to fifth generation new radio frequency range 1 (5G NR FR1) during their development into dopaminergic neurons. WT and PARP1-KO cells are exposed for 33 and 48 hours at 1,950 MHz with a specific absorption rate (SAR) of 3.5 W/kg. EVs are isolated from the culture supernatant of both 5G NR FR1-exposed and sham-exposed cells and analyzed for their size and concentration using three widely applied methods: nanoparticle tracking analysis, transmission electron microscopy and Western blotting. Further proteomic analysis is planned to investigate differences in their protein cargo. Our findings will provide insights into possible effects of RF EMF on EVs during early neuronal development and may uncover mechanisms relevant to human health.
