Automated 1D Helmholtz coil design for cell biology: Weak magnetic fields alter cytoskeleton dynamics

For more than fifty years, scientists have been gathering evidence of the biological impacts of weak magnetic fields. However, the lack of systematics in experimental studies has hampered research progress on this subject. To systematically quantify magnetic field effects in cell biology, it is crucial to produce fields that can be automatically adjusted and that are stable throughout an experiment's duration, usually operating inside an incubator. Here, we report on the design of a fully automated 1D Helmholtz coil setup that is internally water cooled, thus eliminating any confounding effects caused by temperature fluctuations. The coils also allow cells to be exposed to magnetic fields from multiple directions through automated controlled rotation. Preliminary data, acquired with the coils placed inside an incubator and on a rat vascular smooth muscle cell line, confirm previous reports that both microtubule and actin polymerization and dynamics are altered by weak magnetic fields.