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We’re now a step closer to cyborgs—beings that are half-human,
half-machine—with the successful connection of living tissue to electronic
components. Peter Fromherz at the Max-Planck Institute for Biochemistry in
Martinsried, Germany, took human kidney cells and genetically engineered them to
make ion channels—the gateways in the cell membrane that allow nerves to
transmit electrical signals. When the cells were grown on a silicon transistor,
Fromherz found that electrical signals from the cells were strong enough to be
detected and amplified by the transistor (Nature Biotechnology, vol 19,
p 121). Fromherz now plans to develop a bioelectronic sensor using the
technology.