Biomolecular Electronics

Biomolecular Electronics

by Paolo Facci
Released April 2014
Publisher(s): William Andrew
ISBN: 9781455731527

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Book description

Biomolecular Electronics – the electrical control of biological phenomena – is a scientific challenge that, once fully realized, will find a wide range of applications from electronics and computing to medicine and therapeutic techniques. This new arena of biomolecular electronics is approached using familiar concepts from many areas such as electrochemistry, device electronics and some mechanisms of gene expression level control. Practical techniques are explored by which electrical and electronic means can be used to control biological reactions and processes. Also, the current and future applications for this new and expanding field are discussed. This book is aimed at scientists and engineers involved in both research and commercial applications across fields including bioelectronics, bionanotechnology, electrochemistry and nanomedicine – providing a state-of-the-art survey of what's going on at the boundary between biology and electronic technology at the micro- and nano- scales, along with a suggestive insight into future possible developments.

  • Demystifies the science and applications of electrically-driven biological reactions.
  • Explains how the techniques of bioelectronics and electrochemistry can be deployed as biological control technologies.
  • Provides applications information for diverse areas from bio-electrochemistry to electrical control of gene expression levels.

Table of contents

  1. Cover image
  2. Title page
  3. Table of Contents
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. Quote
  7. Preface
  8. Chapter 1. Biomolecular Electronics
    1. 1.0. What is biomolecular electronics?
    2. 1.1. Proteins and biomolecular electronics
    3. 1.2. Proteins and planar devices
    4. 1.3. The future of biomolecular electronics
    5. 1.4. A novel idea: electrical control of biomolecular systems
  9. Chapter 2. Useful Notions in Electrochemistry
    1. 2.0. Charged surfaces in water
    2. 2.1. The Poisson-Boltzmann equation
    3. 2.2. Charged surfaces in electrolytic solutions
    4. 2.3. Potential and ion concentration away from a charged surface
    5. 2.4. Reactions at electrodes
    6. 2.5. Electrochemical tools
    7. 2.6. Electrochemical techniques
  10. Chapter 3. Life and the Water-Based Environment
    1. 3.0. The peculiar chemical-physical properties of water
    2. 3.1. The hydrogen bond and the structure of water
    3. 3.2. The hydrophobic effect
    4. 3.3. The role of water in biology
    5. 3.4. Water and biomolecules
    6. 3.5. Biological reactions taking place in water
    7. 3.6. Biological reactions and phenomena involving the action of electric fields
    8. 3.7. Biological reactions and phenomena involving the transfer of electrons
  11. Chapter 4. Applications of Electrochemistry to Redox Metalloproteins and Cofactors
    1. 4.0. Redox metalloprotein and cofactor electrochemistry
    2. 4.1. Redox metalloproteins
    3. 4.2. Redox cofactors
    4. 4.3. Driving redox reactions of freely diffusing molecules
    5. 4.4. Driving redox reactions of surface immobilized molecules
    6. 4.5. Single biomolecule electron transfer
    7. 4.6. Electrochemically gated single-protein transistor
  12. Chapter 5. Electrochemistry can Drive Molecular Conformation
    1. 5.0. Direct electrochemical control of protein conformation at an electrode surface
    2. 5.1. Direct electrical modulation of the open/closed state of a voltage-gated potassium ion channel
    3. 5.2. Direct electrical control of antibody conformation and affinity
    4. 5.3. Towards direct electrical modulation of enzyme activity
  13. Chapter 6. Redox Control of Gene Expression Level
    1. 6.0. Regulation of gene expression level
    2. 6.1. Gene regulation in bacteriophages
    3. 6.2. Redox regulation of gene expression level: the case of Rhodobacter
    4. 6.3. Redox regulation of gene expression level: the case of Escherichia coli
    5. 6.4. Redox control of gene expression in subcellular organelles
  14. Chapter 7. Towards Direct Electrochemical Control of Gene Expression Level
    1. 7.0. Direct electrochemical control of gene expression level: where to start from?
    2. 7.1. The choice of redox mediators
    3. 7.2. How to go further?
  15. Chapter 8. What will be Next?
    1. 8.0. A pervasive presence of redox-controlled biosystems
    2. 8.1. Redox-dependent control of blood pressure
    3. 8.2. Redox regulation of embryonic stem cell transcription factors by thioredoxin
    4. 8.3. Role of p53 redox states in DNA binding
    5. 8.4. Redox regulation in plants
    6. 8.5. The electrified snail
  16. Index

Product information

  • Title: Biomolecular Electronics
  • Author(s): Paolo Facci
  • Release date: April 2014
  • Publisher(s): William Andrew
  • ISBN: 9781455731527