Download Bacteria in your pad – Translation from an article in « Le Temps

Bacteria in your pad – Translation from an article in « Le Temps » Newspaper
Technology : Students from Lausanne are working on a new type of touchscreen integrating
organic elements.
They will present their project at the end of october at a competition organized by the
prestigious MIT in Boston.
[Fabien Goubet]
A pressure on its envelope makes it
Thus, the students have bacteria
produce protective proteins that
that emit light when we touch
No respite for smartphones and
rigidify its structure to limit this
them. To take advantage of this,
other pads. As soon as they
stress. The mechanism by which it
they used a microfluidic chip. This
invaded our pockets and our living
happens
is
but
is
rooms, some already think about
Sakura
Nussbaum
her
centimeters long, composed of
the next step. Sakura Nussbaum
teammates have studied it closer.
PDMS, a carbon and silicium
and
her
thirteen
teammates,
still
uncertain,
and
a
small
plate
a
few
They noticed that it involves a
polymere
Life
protein named CpxR, which role is
slightly malleable. The chip is
Sciences at EPFL, are some of them.
to stimulate the production of these
made of 768 tiny cavities of a few
« We are working on the design
protective proteins. In the absence
micrometers in diameter in which
and the fabrication of a « BioPad »,
of pressure, CpxR is divided in two
are placed bacteria with a little
a touchpad working with the help
distinct and inactive parts. These
culture medium. « Each chamber
of biological compounds, in this
parts reassemble in case of pressure
constitutes in a way one pixel »,
case bacteria that emit light when a
on the bacterial envelope and
indicates Axel De Tonnac, the
pressure is applied on the screen »,
constitute the CpxR protein itself,
microfluidics
summarizes the young student.
active this time. The team of
crew. The students are currently
Their
its
students based the concept of their
verifying that their bacteria really
less
project on this mechanism. « We
emit
have
modified
applied on it. Here is where their
Escherichia coli, so that it emits light
work is. Of course, they are still
when it is subjected to pressure »,
far away from a hypothetical «
details
BioPad », but the project only
students
in
Bachelor
project
beginning,
is
but
of
only
is
no
at
encouraging.
When
we
put
bacteria
under
mechanical pressure, they don't
stay inert but react to limit the
consequences. It is the case for
Escherichia coli, a very common
intestinal bacteria.
genetically
Sakura
luminescence
Nussbaum.
is
ensured
The
by
light
which
of
structure
specialist
when
of
is
the
pressure
is
a
started this summer. « We are still
protein coming from glow worm,
at the stage of proof of concept,
the luciferase. This protein is «
admits Axel De Tonnac, But our
grafted » on the CpxR protein and
objective now is to make sure
emits light only when the two parts
that
are assembled.
expected, and to present our
everything
works
as
work at the iGEM competition. »
The whole team is going to fly to
must persevere in their work. I am
Boston, where the competition
convinced that the screens of the
international
future will combine electronics and
Genetically
Engineered Machine (iGEM) will
take place. Starting on the 30th of
octobre and organized by the
Massachusetts
Institute
of
Technology (MIT), this competition
reassembles 220 teams of students,
from different specialities. It brings
synthetic biology at honour, a
discipline in which biologists work
as
engineers
and
standardized
build
biological
compounds, « biobricks », which
can be useful in the future for other
researchers
particular
wanting
function
to
give
to
living
organisms.
Naturally, the obstacles to the
realisation
of
a
screen
are
numerous. How to renew the
culture medium once it is used ?
How to control the multiplication of
the bacteria without compromising
the
performance
of
electric
circuits ?
Bent Stumpe, retired from CERN
and
inventor
of
the
first
touchscreen in 1972, heard about
the project. For him, they should
not be impressed by this kind of
inconvenients. « They absolutely
biology », assures the researcher.