Bio Bots: From Repair to Revolution

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Exploring the potential of bio bots made from human cells to heal nerve cells, form larger structures like 'super bots,' and enhance navigation with synthetic circuits. Discussing the implications of using biological cells for construction and medical applications, focusing on treating neurodegenerative diseases and morphogenic engineering. Emphasizing the importance of failsafe mechanisms and the exciting possibilities at the intersection of gene editing, synthetic biology, and robot building.

Modern biology is advancing by leaps and bounds, not only in understanding how organisms work, but in learning how to modify them in interesting ways. One exciting frontier is the study of tiny "robots" created from living molecules and cells, rather than metal and plastic. Gizem Gumuskaya, who works with previous guest Michael Levin, has created anthrobots, a new kind of structure made from living human cells. We talk about how that works, what they can do, and what future developments might bring.

Blog post with transcript: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/04/29/274-gizem-gumuskaya-on-building-robots-from-human-cells/

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Gizem Gumuskaya received her Ph.D. from Tufts University and the Harvard Wyss Institute for Biologically-Inspired Engineering. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at Tufts University. She previously received a dual master's degree in Architecture and Synthetic Biology from MIT.

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