AVS 47th International Symposium
    Electronics Tuesday Sessions
       Session EL+NS-TuM

Paper EL+NS-TuM11
Whole-Cell Bio-computing in a Microelectronic Format

Tuesday, October 3, 2000, 11:40 am, Room 312

Session: Molecular Electronics
Presenter: M.L. Simpson, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and The University of Tennessee
Authors: M.L. Simpson, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and The University of Tennessee
G.S. Sayler, University of Tennessee Center for Environmental Biotechnology
J. Fleming, University of Tennessee Center for Environmental Biotechnology
B. Applegate, University of Tennessee Center for Environmental Biotechnology
S. Ripp, University of Tennessee Center for Environmental Biotechnology
D. Nivens, University of Tennessee Center for Environmental Biotechnology
Correspondent: Click to Email
Even simple cells perform tremendously complex information processing operations involving memory (genes), sensing and feedback (promoters, regulatory proteins), and in some cases, interconnectivity (quorum sensing). For example, Escherichia coli, with a 4.6 million base-pair chromosome, has the equivalent of a 9.2-megabit memory to code for as many as 4,300 different polypeptides under the inducible control of perhaps several hundred different promoters. Yet, all of this functionality is contained in an area of approximately 1 square micron. Conversely, current predictions of the future of silicon integrated circuits indicate that 1 square micron of silicon will contain only a 245 bit memory or 1.66 simple logic gates by 2014. Obviously, silicon technology will not approach bacterial-scale integration within the foreseeable future. Furthermore, microorganisms have some qualities that are quite desirable for information processing devices and systems. Bacterial cells are relatively rugged "devices" that subsist in even extreme environments. Also, they are fairly easy to manipulate genetically, and have a diverse set of gene regulation systems. Furthermore, cells easily can be incorporated into a 3-dimensional structure instead of the planar structure of integrated circuits. And finally, cells self-assemble and self-replicate, and therefore are easy to manufacture. We will present our work to incorporate the information processing capabilities of living cells into a microelectronic format. This will include our work on the bioluminescent bioreporter integrated circuit (BBIC) for sensing applications, as well as our recent work to engineer more complex information processing and communication functions into whole cells deployed on integrated circuits.