Bioelectric control of cancer and morphogenesis

Using ion channel manipulation and bioelectric state to suppress tumorigenesis and override oncogenic pathways, pioneered by Michael Levin's group.

6 members. Each node is clickable.

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The papers/notes whose extracted claims & findings make up this cluster.

Other communities that share members with this one — cross-cutting threads or papers that sit at the seam between two themes.

Suppression of cancer phenotypes despite strong oncogenic mutations via forced bioelectrical connections among cells, overriding single-cell goals with morphogenetic ones.Empirical demonstration that bioelectric network topology, not genetic state, determines whether cellular optimization occurs at single-cell (cancer) vs. organ level.
Bioelectric depolarization induces melanoma transformationExperimentally validated prediction: depolarizing specific cell populations in normal tadpoles induces metastatic melanoma transformation, demonstrating causal role of bioelectric communication.
Bioelectric state manipulation induces metastatic melanoma or suppresses tumorigenesis in wild-type genetic backgroundDepolarization of melanocytes converts them to a metastatic state; conversely, hyperpolarization prevents tumor formation even with oncogene expression.
Co-expression of a hyperpolarizing ion channel prevents tumorigenesis by oncogene p53 in Xenopus tadpolesBioelectric state modulation can override strong oncogenic mutations, preventing cancer and restoring normal development.
Optogenetic hyperpolarization suppresses human oncogenesFinding that constitutive or optogenetic hyperpolarization can prevent human oncogenes from inducing tumors, supporting bioelectric control of cancer fate.

Cancer as loss of organizational self-boundaryLevin proposes cancer cells become isolated from physiological signals that bind them into organ-level collectives, reverting to unicellular-scale goals, shrinking their computational self.