Miguel Jimenez

The capacity of living cells to continuously monitor and act on their environment with molecular specificity is unmatched by any sensor or actuator developed by humans. We have shown that it is possible to use genetically engineered microorganisms as the sensing and actuation elements in electronic and mechanical devices. These integrated microbial devices outperform traditional analytical tools while functioning in low resource settings. My group develops electronic and mechanical devices that natively interface with biology – sensors and actuators with integrated microorganisms that augment our capacity to monitor and act on changes in our bodies, our plants and livestock, and our environment.