An interesting paper can be found
here. The authors have combined cells with nanotechnology for an integrated molecular processing network. Specifically, engineered cell populations are triggered by a quorum sensing signal molecule to express surface-displayed fusions consisting of a fluorescent marker and an affinity peptide. The latter provides means for attaching magnetic nanoparticles in order to fluorescently activate subpopulations for coalescence into colour-indexed output. The resultant nano-guided cell network assesses quorum sensing activity and conveys molecular information as a 'bio-litmus' in a manner read by simple optical means.
