Illustration depicts genetically engineered bacteria making a neural network similar to that in the brain and performing complex computing. Credit: Chem. Sci. 2021, 12, 15821-15832.
Researchers have created an artificial neural network from genetically engineered cells of a specific bacterium, some chemicals and light-emitting proteins1.
The bacteria processed the chemical input and performed several complex computing tasks, such as encoding and decoding. They then generated a protein output, clearly visible under a fluorescent microscope.
The bacteria powered themselves with food from the environment to perform the computing tasks and did not need a battery. This makes the network attractive material for creating microrobots and cellular computers, say researchers at the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics in Kolkata, India.
The team led by Sangram Bagh engineered a specific strain of Escherichia coli by inserting cellular devices into its 25-nm circular DNA that could replicate inside the bacteria.
When specific chemicals were added to the bacterial culture, the bacterial network sensed and processed them and expressed the fluorescent proteins according to a specific computing task. This was made possible by engineering molecular interactions inside the bacterial cells.
In future, the computing potential of the bacterial network could be tapped to design tiny devices that can swim through the bloodstream, take decisions and potentially even repair a disorder, killing diseased cells, says Bagh.
