US Patent 8137526 - Attaching cells to electrochemical nanowires

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8137526.html

This patent from Oklahoma State University teaches a method for growing nanowires in proximity to biological cells to facilitate experimentation in cell stimulation. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of growing a nanowire comprising:

providing a pair of electrodes;

immersing the electrode pair in a directed electrochemical nanowire assembly (DENA) compatible salt solution;

selectively applying a voltage signal to the electrode pair to induce growth of the nanowire between the electrode pairs; and

applying a negative electrical bias to one of the electrodes to stimulate self attachment of a living cell to the nanowire.