Possible MIFE applications
Plant physiology (stress; adaptation; mineral nutrition; photosynthesis; long-distance transport; growth & development; water relations; osmoregulation; hormonal physiology; stomatal physiology; plant movements)
Cell biology (signaling; perception; elicitors)
Ecophysiology (plant responses to abiotic and biotic factors)
Biophysics (properties of ion channels and transporters)
Developmental biology (morpho- and embriogenesis; polarity)
Functional genomics (in planta studies of specific gene functions; heterologous expression systems)
Agronomy and plant breeding (plant screening for environmental fitness)
Soil science (soil-root interface; heavy metal toxicity; remediation)
Soil science (soil-root interface; heavy metal toxicity; remediation)
Marine biology (algae; phytoplankton; marine biofilms and mats; sediments)
Bryology (physiology and development)
Mycology (factors controlling growth and development)
Food microbiology (effect of food-related treatments on bacteria; food preservation studies; interrelation of pathogenic and probiotic bacteria; biofilms)
Medical microbiology (pathogenic bacteria; bacterial physiology an genetics; host-pathogen interactions)
Environmental microbiology (functional genomics; bioremediation; environmental physiology)
Medical research (screening of new drugs; physiology; pathology)
Human and animal physiology (receptors; signaling; homeostasis)
Toxicology (receptors; selectivity and action spectrum; molecular targets)
1984 年，康奈爾大學 Lucas 教授提出了 用緩慢振動的離子選擇性電極來無損測定凈離子流 的想法，其主要理論是: 通過微電極測定溶液中生物組織兩個位置間的離子濃度梯度( 嚴格來說是電化學勢差) ，進而根據梯度計算目標離子的跨膜凈通量．之后，該理論在玉米根系 H+ 和 K+ 通量的化學計量測定上得到了實踐證明． 1995 年，美國伍 茲霍爾研究所將振動探針設備進行改造，使其具備離子流能力． 與此同時，澳大利亞塔斯馬 尼亞大學的 Newman在前人的理論基礎上對非損傷性微測技術進一步發展，發明出微電極離子流技術( MIFE，microelectrode ion flux estimation) ．能準確地測定單細胞或完整植株特定微 區細胞內外離子濃度與流動方向．它具有高靈敏度、實時、非損傷性、分辨率高、噪值小等特點，而且還可 以在電腦控制下不間斷測定與自動監測，實現了生 物體內外離子或分子信息的同步測定．
