Scientists link living organisms with computers

Researchers in the United Kingdom have developed a nanotechnology breakthrough that provides the foundation for the interface between living organisms and the computer world.

The electronic switch based on DNA was devised at the University of Portsmouth in England and is called a nanoactuator or molecular dynamo.

The device is invisible to the naked eye and is about one thousandth of a strand of human hair.

The switch was developed by molecular biotechnology expert, Dr Keith Firman in collaboration with other European researchers. The team has been awarded a grant of €2 million by the European Commission under its New and Emerging Science and Technology initiative to progress the technology.

It consists of a strand of DNA anchored in a miniscule channel of a microchip, a magnetic bead and a biological motor powered by the naturally occurring energy source found in cells " adenosine triphosphate (ATP).

These elements working together create a dynamo that in turn generates electricity. The result is a device that emits electrical signals that can be sent to a computer.

Aside from its use in computers, the DNA switch has immediate practical application in toxin detection and could be used in a biodefence role as a biological sensor to detect airborne pathogens.

Future applications could also include molecular-scale mechanical devices for interfacing to computer-controlled artificial limbs.

"The possibilities are very exciting. The nanoactuator we have developed can be used as a communicator between the biological and silicon worlds," Firman said.

"I could see it providing an interface between muscle and external devices, but it has to be pointed out that such an application is still 20 or 30 years away."