MIT researchers develop biological transistors using living bacteria

Researchers at MIT have developed biological transistors using the bacterium Pantoea agglomerans, creating living circuits capable of performing logical operations. Unlike traditional silicon-based electronics that use electrons and wires, this biological system utilizes living cells and chemical molecules to transmit information.

The team engineered two types of biological transistors that respond to specific chemical signals to either activate or deactivate. To overcome the scaling limitations of traditional synthetic biology—where overloading a single cell with complex instructions can exhaust its protein production—the researchers distributed the computational functions across multiple bacterial colonies. By using three additional strains to act as relays, they can connect these colonies into larger, functional circuits.

This technology could eventually enable plants to autonomously detect and respond to environmental stressors such as drought, disease, or pest attacks.