People can now keep a comprehensive health track without necessarily going to the clinic every single day as scientists have found a new method to reprogram cells such that they can recognize electronic signals. This means that cells can potentially connect with smartphones which allow these mobile devices to easily track the user’s health condition.

The study “Electronic control of gene expression and cell behavior in Escherichia coli through redox signaling” by Tanya Tschirhart and colleagues, published in Nature Communication, came up with a new communication pathway to connect electronic signals to gene expression. Utilizing redox molecules, the researchers basically demonstrated that electronic information can be used to control bacterial cell behavior.

Although the research is in its early stage, its practical use in the medical field has been envisioned to be far better than what people are using today to track health condition. Digital Trends even suggested that the technology can offer a huge leap from basic fitness tracking as treating a once-deadly disease has been detected and treated by your smartphone.

“Our work shows, for the first time, the utility of using biologically relevant redox molecules in translating electronic signals to changes in engineered bacterial gene expression,” read the discussion of the manuscript. This research was also considered to be the first in demonstrating and characterizing an electrode-based system for reversible and specific redox-driven genetic control in bacteria.

Furthermore, the system used in this study was based on coupling Pyo-driven SoxR activation with electronic control of Fcn(O/R) redox form. Through these redox molecules, electrons became free to move through the biological system, thus, allowing molecules to be flipped from one state to another using an electrode.

Taking advantage of this dynamic electrochemical control of Fcn(O/R), the researchers were able to characterize how the bacteria produces protein and consequently, posed a potential on determining and predicting gene expression outcomes through the electrogenetic circuit.

To read the full manuscript, visit the site provided above. Stay tuned for more exciting updates!