Engineering electrogenetic interfaces for mammalian cell control

Abstract

Human body cells and our daily electronic devices both communicate information within their distinct worlds by regulating the flow of electrons across specified membranes. While electronic devices depend on the flow of electrons generated by conductive materials to communicate within a digital network, biological systems use ion gradients, created in analog biochemical reactions, to trigger biological data transmission throughout multicellular systems. Electrogenetics is an emerging concept in synthetic biology in which electrons generated by digital electronic devices program customized electron-responsive biological units within living cells. In this paper, we outline endeavors to design direct electrogenetic interfaces to control cell behaviors in therapeutically engineered mammalian cells. We also discuss prospects for the world of electrogenetics, focusing on how to engineer the next generation of therapeutic cells controlled by electronic devices and the internet of the body.