Thought control successfully used to switch on a gene

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Luke Skywalker strikes a protective pose behind Princess Leia in the 1977 series opener

Luke Skywalker mastering the mysterious "Force" in has come a step closer to reality after an experiment where thought control was successfully used to switch on a gene and generate protein in an electronic chip.

Scientists believe the bizarre experiment, in which volunteers were wired up to a machine that read their brainwaves, could lead to mind-operated implants for treating disease.

The Swiss researchers compared the study to Luke Skywalker's power. They were inspired by the game Mindflex, in which players wearing headsets use their brainwaves to "thought control" a small ball through an obstacle course by operating a fan.

In the experiment, volunteers wore brainwave-recording headsets linked to an electrical current generator. By thinking in a certain way, they were able wirelessly to turn on the gene chip, causing it to emit near infra-red LED light.

This activated light-sensitive cells in the chip, triggering a cascade of signals and switching on the gene for a marker protein called SEAP (secreted embryonic alkaline phosphatase).

Implanted into mice, the chip released the protein into the animals' bloodstreams.

Lead scientist Professor Martin Fussenegger, from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, said: "For the first time, we have been able to tap into human brainwaves, transfer them wirelessly to a gene network and regulate the expression of a gene depending on the type of thought. Being able to control gene expression via the power of thought is a dream that we've been chasing for over a decade."

To regulate the amount of released protein, participants were asked to adopt three different states of mind - bio-feedback, meditation and concentration.

Those who were concentrating on playing a computer game produced average levels of SEAP in the mice. But when completely relaxed, in the meditation state, they generated very high amounts of the protein.

For the bio-feedback test, volunteers watched the chip's LED light up in the body of a mouse and were consciously able to switch it on or off with their thoughts. This was reflected by varying amounts of SEAP in the animal.

The findings are published in the journal

Thought-controlled implants may one day be used to combat neurological diseases such as chronic headache, back pain and epilepsy, said Prof Fussenegger.

The implants would work by detecting specific brainwaves at an early stage and triggering the production therapeutic agents at just the right time.