Columbia University scientists lead research; Work could lead to electronic systems that taste and smell.
TACOMA, Wash. – University of Puget Sound neuroscience professor Siddharth Ramakrishnan is part of a team of scientists who have, for the first time, developed a computer “biochip” made of both biological and electronic components.
The breakthrough study opens the door to creating entirely new artificial systems in which an electronic mechanism could “experience” and react to senses such as taste or smell. Such a system could be used, for example, to replace a bomb-sniffing dog. The research potentially would also allow scientists to power up microchips implanted in living cells so that doctors could monitor or treat various medical conditions, such as heart or nervous system ailments, without the need for an external battery source.
The scientific team created the biologically powered computer chip by working at a molecular/nanoscale level and isolating biological cells' desired functions. They interfaced with the electrical energy generated by proteins from living matter with solid-state electronics, producing a bio-battery powered chip.
The research's foreseen applications would have capabilities not possible with either biological or electronic parts alone.
Columbia University Professor of Biomedical Engineering Ken Shepard led the study, which involved a team of five scientists, including Ramakrishnan. Ramakrishnan joined Puget Sound from New York University in 2012 and was appointed the first Jennie M. Caruthers Chair in Neuroscience and the interdisciplinary neuroscience program director.
The new study, originally reported in Nature Communications, was covered in multiple media. You can read about it in:
The Daily Mail (U.K.): http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3349792/Researchers-unveil-biologically-powered-chimera-computer-chip-say-able-taste-smell.html
Nature Communications: http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2015/151207/ncomms10070/full/ncomms10070.html
As a research scientist at Columbia University, Ramakrishnan designed microchips to record brain cells and used proteins to create bio-batteries and biosensors. While there, he also participated in designing the architecture for the new “biochip,” and later took part in discussing the experimental results obtained by Columbia scientist Jared Roseman, ahead of the study's write-up.
Since arriving at the University of Puget Sound, Ramakrishnan has been awarded an early-career grant from the National Science Foundation. Backed by the five-year award, he is currently studying the impact of early embryonic exposure to low doses of the chemical Bisphenol A, leaching into food from tin cans or certain plastic packaging, pipes, and medical devices.
Ramakrishnan has been instrumental in developing Puget Sound’s neuroscience program, which has students actively involved in research and internships and establishes the popular Art + Science Salons in partnership with Tacoma Art Museum.
To learn more about the Neuroscience Program at Puget Sound, visit: https://www.pugetsound.edu/academics/departments-and-programs/undergraduate/neuroscience/
Press photos of Siddharth Ramakrishnan are available upon request.
Photo on page: Siddharth Ramakrishnan working with a student in the Puget Sound research lab. Photo by Ross Mulhausen.
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