Silicon Chips Inside Human Cells Michael Paje MIS 304

Silicon Chip Inside Human Cells Researchers at Micro and Nanosystems Department, Instituto de Microelectronica de Barcelona (CSIC) have produced silicon chips in living human cells. By 2020 they estimate they’ll have 2500 transistors fit in a single cell.

What is a Silicon Chip? Electronic equipment consisting of a small crystal of silicon semiconductor fabricated to carry out a number of electronic functions in an integrated circuit. Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments and Robert Noyce of Fairchild Semiconductor in 1959 were the first to use silicon chips in computers. They’re also found in calculators, microwaves, car radios, engine controllers and etc.

Experiment The Research team from (CSIC) used these single chips; left side polysilicon intracellular chip and the right a 3D coil nanostructuring. They inserted these chips in HeLa cells and found the cells remained alive and healthy.

Henrietta Lacks 1951 Henrietta Lacks passed away from cancer and donated her body to science. Scientists found her cells can reproduce infinitely in a lab because of they enzyme called telomerase to repair their DNA. These cells are called the immortal cells or HeLa cells and are used in lab experiments.

Conclusion The research team has successfully produced a silicon chip that can be used in human cells. They envision a limitless possibilities for the design of innovative devices with intracellur applications. Possible ones are early detection of diseases, deliver drugs faster to cells and even repair cells.

Resources embed-silicon-chips-inside-human-cells embed-silicon-chips-inside-human-cells henrietta-lacks-most-important-woman-medical-history henrietta-lacks-most-important-woman-medical-history numbers-computers/what-silicon-chip numbers-computers/what-silicon-chip