Event
BIOE Seminar: Elec. Eavesdropp. and Electrogenetics:Tools for Guiding Consortia and Synthesiz. Prod.
Friday, March 6, 2026
9:00 a.m.
A. James Clark Hall, Room #2121
Ian White
ianwhite@umd.edu
William E. Bentley
Robert E. Fischell Distinguished Professor and Director
Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices
University of Maryland
Electronic Eavesdropping and Electrogenetics – Tools for Guiding Consortia and Synthesizing Products
Abstract
Microelectronics has transformed our lives. It has changed the way we collect, process, and transmit information. The intersection between microelectronics and biology has also been transformative – ionic currents that control cardiovascular and neural systems are detected and even corrected using electronics (e.g., EKG & defibrillators). Yet, the microelectronics world has barely “sampled” the vast repertoire of chemical information in our biological world. In biology, information is often contained in the structure of its molecules – molecules that move from place to place and based on their structure, convey information and provoke a response.
We envision new processes and deployable products that open the dialogue between biology and microelectronics – that eavesdrop on and manipulate biological systems within their own settings and in ways that speed corrective actions. We view electrobiofabrication and synthetic biology as integral technologies for achieving this vision. While synthetic biology offers a means for “green” product synthesis through the genetic rearrangement of cells, it can also provide a means to connect biological systems with microelectronic devices. Electrobiofabrication enables the assembly of engineered living
materials right onto electrodes in ways that preserve phenotype and open lines of electronic communication. We anticipate that engineered systems can be electronically controlled to guide native signaling processes and these, in turn, serve to “program” cells, cell consortia, and even microbiomes to achieve desired outcomes. Innovative materials, electronics, biomolecular and cellular engineering strategies can be developed to mediate “molecular” communication - information transfer within cell networks, to microelectronic systems and back. We expect that a product’s quality attributes as well as the manufacturing processes leading to these products will benefit by newly opened lines of communication between the biological systems and the devices in which they are operated and controlled.
