A 100 mT-Class ELF Magnetic Field Exposure System for Cultured Cells

Abstract

We developed a system for exposure of cultured cells to extremely low frequency (ELF) magnetic fields much stronger than those used in previous in vitro studies. The system consists of an electromagnet, a commercial incubator with a custom-designed door and a custom-designed shelf, and other components, and exposes cells in the incubator to ELF magnetic field. We confirmed that it has good performance characteristics in terms of field intensity, field uniformity, waveform, field stability, temperature uniformity, and temperature stability. Its features include: (1) strong ELF magnetic fields (at most, 170 mT_RMS), (2) long-term exposure (at least, 5.5h), and (3) variable frequencies (10-100Hz). This exposure system is expected to contribute significantly to research on possible hazards of ELF magnetic fields.