Navigation Links
Programmable cells: Engineer turns bacteria into living computers

Ed : Sadly no picture is available; however, you can find one in an article from last year, describing the group's research.

In a step toward making living cells function as if they were tiny computers, engineers at Princeton have programmed bacteria to communicate with each other and produce color-coded patterns.

The feat, accomplished in a biology lab within the Department of Electrical Engineering, represents an important proof-of-principle in an emerging field known as "synthetic biology," which aims to harness living cells as workhorses that detect hazards, build structures or repair tissues and organs within the body.

"We are really moving beyond the ability to program individual cells to programming a large collection -- millions or billions -- of cells to do interesting things," said Ron Weiss, an assistant professor of electrical engineering and molecular biology.

Collaborating with researchers at the California Institute of Technology, Weiss and graduate student Subhayu Basu programmed E. coli bacteria to emit red or green fluorescent light in response to a signal emitted from another set of E. coli. In one experiment, the cells glowed green when they sensed a higher concentration of the signal chemical and red when they sensed a lower concentration. In a Petri dish, they formed a bull's-eye pattern -- a green circle inside a red one -- surrounding the sender cells.

In addition to demonstrating that the genetic programming techniques work, this sensing system could be useful for the detection of chemicals or organisms in laboratory tests. "The bull's-eye could tell you: This is where the anthrax is," said Weiss.

The researchers published their results in the April 28 issue of Nature. In addition to Weiss and Basu, authors of the paper are postdoctoral researcher Yoram Gerchman at Princeton and professor of c
'"/>

Source:Princeton University


Page: 1 2 3

Related biology news :

1. Ants Genetic Engineering Leads To Species Interdependency
2. Chemical Engineer Kao Explores Antibiotic Synthesis With DNA Chips
3. Engineers improve plastics potential for use in implants by linking it to biological material
4. Engineered molecule amplifies bodys immune response
5. Engineered skin offers clues to melanoma development
6. Engineered Stem Cells Show Promise For Sneaking Drugs Into The Brain
7. Engineers discover why toucan beaks are models of lightweight strength
8. Engineered mouse mimics cognitive aspects of schizophrenia
9. Engineered heart tissue offers insights into irregular heartbeats, defibrillator failure
10. Engineer ramps up protein production, develops versatile viral spheres
11. Engineered yeast speeds ethanol production
Post Your Comments:
(Date:5/22/2013)... Md. (May 22, 2013)The omega 3 fatty acids in ... cardiovascular diseaseso much so that the American Heart Association ... a week, particularly fatty varieties rich in omega 3s. ... a mystery. In a new study, scientists led by ... on this phenomenon by providing evidence that fish oil ...
(Date:5/22/2013)... can endanger the whole organism, as they may lead ... in Munich now report how byproducts of respiration cause ... DNA in our cells controls the form and function ... for this are encoded in the linear sequence of ... (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G) and thymine (T). Random ...
(Date:5/22/2013)... for prostate cancer could become as easy for men ... UC Irvine research published today in the Journal ... than a decade of work, UC Irvine chemists have ... for prostate cancer in urine, meaning that the disease ... at dramatically lower cost. The same technology could potentially ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):Fish oil may help the heart beat mental stress 2DNA damage: The dark side of respiration 2UCI chemists devise inexpensive, accurate way to detect prostate cancer 2UCI chemists devise inexpensive, accurate way to detect prostate cancer 3
... Ciona intestinalis , commonly known as the sea ... uncovered the origins of the second heart field in ... full genome has been sequenced--one that shares 80 percent ... clearly more primitive than creatures with backbones and spinal ...
... soil may get what they need by cultivating specific ... are exceptionally efficient at turning inorganic minerals into nutrients ... their findings in the July 2010 issue of the ... acidic forest soils, availability of inorganic nutrients is a ...
... than a bullet-proof vest yet synonymous with beauty and ... remarkable properties have yet to be fully replicated in ... properties as well as their looks, silk fibers have ... armor for 5,000 years. Silk spun by ...
Cached Biology News:From the heart: How cells divide to form different but related muscle groups 2Some trees 'farm' bacteria to help supply nutrients 2Behind the secrets of silk lie high-tech opportunities 2
(Date:5/24/2013)... City, OK (PRWEB) May 24, 2013 The ... of casualties. And following its ravage, the mayor of Moore, ... bill for new houses, said a report from cnn.com. Reaching ... the tornado victims complimentary Molderizer and Safe Shield to counter ... to the report published on May 22, 2013, caused 24 ...
(Date:5/24/2013)... 24, 2013 Quincy Bioscience, a ... development of calcium-binding proteins to support healthy living, ... assessment study of apoaequorin in Food ... for the British Industrial Biological Research Association. ... investigate potential adverse effects, if any, of apoaequorin, ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... Arbor, Mich. Every day, their baby stopped breathing, ... to his lungs. April and Bryan Gionfriddo watched helplessly, ... , "Quite a few doctors said he had a ... April Gionfriddo, about her now 20-month-old son, Kaiba. "At ... we would take it and run with it." , ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... 2013  BioScrip, Inc. (NASDAQ: BIOS ) ... Jefferies 2013 Global Healthcare Conference to be held June ... Richard Smith , President and ... , Chief Financial Officer, will present on Monday, June ... About BioScrip BioScrip, Inc. provides comprehensive ...
Breaking Biology Technology:Mayor of Oklahoma-Tornado-Impaired Town Proposes Storm Shelter Bill, My Cleaning Products Offers Complimentary Molderizer and Safe Shield to Help Victim with Looming Mold 2Safety Assessment Study of Apoaequorin Published in Food and Chemical Toxicology 2Baby's life saved with groundbreaking 3-D printed device that restored his breathing 2Baby's life saved with groundbreaking 3-D printed device that restored his breathing 3
... 10 , - Abstracts 185 and 1112, ... announced results from,two randomized clinical studies presented at ... 44th Annual Meeting demonstrating that the,"basal plus" insulin ... daily (basal insulin) and APIDRA(R) once daily,(prandial insulin) ...
... HALO ), a biopharmaceutical company developing and,commercializing products ... at two investor conferences in September:, -- Merriman ... at the,Mark Hopkins InterContinental Hotel in San Francisco on ... p.m. Eastern Time); and, -- UBS,s 2008 Global ...
... today by the Tech Council of Maryland:, Maryland ... off but,it must be safeguarded and trouble looms., ... 21st century,economic engines we Marylanders can take heart and ... industry. This blossoming industry,has expanded over the years with ...
Cached Biology Technology:Sanofi Aventis : New Study Results Support the "Basal Plus" Strategy With LANTUS(R) and APIDRA(R) to Improve Blood Sugar Control in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes 2Sanofi Aventis : New Study Results Support the "Basal Plus" Strategy With LANTUS(R) and APIDRA(R) to Improve Blood Sugar Control in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes 3Sanofi Aventis : New Study Results Support the "Basal Plus" Strategy With LANTUS(R) and APIDRA(R) to Improve Blood Sugar Control in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes 4Halozyme Therapeutics to Present at Upcoming Investor Conferences 2Protect Maryland's Bioscience Industry 2Protect Maryland's Bioscience Industry 3
No description available in Ensembl. Antigen: Recombinant Protein Epitope Signature Tag (PrEST)....
5(S)-HETE-d8 is used as an internal standard for the quantification of 5(S)-HETE by stable isotope dilution mass spectrometry....
Full-length cDNA clone CS0DJ013YG01 of T cells (Jurkat cell line) of Homo sapiens (human). [Source:Uniprot/SPTREMBL;Acc:Q86SZ3] Antigen: Recombinant Protein Epitope Signature Tag (PrEST)....
...
Biology Products: