Building multi-cellular biological machines

Biological machines can be used to detect the harmful toxins in the environment and to develop new therapies with better accuracy than today's technology. A joint mission with UGA, MIT, Georgia Tech and the University of Illinois aims to create a new scientific discipline for building living, multi-cellular machines that solve real world problems in health, security, and the environment. This mission will be achieved through integrated research and education efforts, human resource development, diversity and outreach programs, and knowledge transfer activities. This is an interdisciplinary biology, engineering, ethics and mathematical project that is training the next generation of scientists while developing new bio machine technologies to help society. In 2016 they finalized work on building a model for motor neuron development and started to add a vascular component. They are building the next generation of toxin detection, which is a continuation of the previous years' work to develop more representative and robust sensors through biological machines for a broad range of chemical threats. This funding in part has led to additional funded grants on toxicology with faculty in College of Public Health at UGA to develop better ways to find toxins that might cause ADHD and autism.