Bionanotechnology: Application to Bionanosensors, Bionanomemory, Biofuel Cells


V. Renugopalakrishnan

Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, U.S.A.

e-mail: Renu@biofold.net

URL: http://faculty.eng.fiu.edu/~saching/dr_renu.htm

 

Bionanotechnology attempts to harness various functions of biological macromolecules and integrates them with engineering for technological applications. It is a bottom up approach and encompasses structural biology, biomacromolecular engineering, materials science, and engineering, stretching the horizon of materials science to its current ultimate limits. The structural biology of proteins has been developed over the last 70 or so years. Of these seven decades, the last four have seen a transformation of our static perspective of proteins evolving into a dynamical perception. This has laid the basis for rational engineering and design of proteins with enhanced and novel properties. Biotechnology matured during the same period of time and enabled the design of novel proteins. Protein self-assembly offers unique advantages in fabricating protein-based nanodevices, and circumventing cost-prohibitive processes in the manufacture of bioelectronic devices. The presentation will deal with an overview of bionano sensors, memory devices, and fuel cells.