Scientists Create Artificial Transistor Gates from E.Coli, DNA
Researchers at Imperial College in London have created biological logic gates similar to those used in integrated circuits using E.Coli bacteria and DNA.
"Logic gates are the fundamental building blocks in silicon circuitry that our entire digital age is based on," said Richard Kitney co-author of the research project recently published in the journal nature Communications. "Without them, we could not process digital information. Now that we have demonstrated that we can replicate these parts using bacteria and DNA, we hope that our work could lead to a new generation of biological processors, whose applications in information processing could be as important as their electronic equivalents."
According to a press release, the project group performed a successful test in which they showed that their biological gates can replicate the process that is equivalent to an electronic transistor gate that can be switched on and off. While Kitney said that his gates are the most advanced biological logic gates ever created, he conceded that they are not close to actually producing them for actual products.
The next step in the development are multiple gates in "more complex circuitry", which could one day lead to building blocks for "microscopic biological computers". Kitney envisions, for example, sensors that swim inside arteries, or even devices that detect and destroy cancer cells inside the body. There could also be pollution monitors that detect and kill "dangerous toxins such as arsenic".

*stares with wide eyes*
sorry i had to say it
Actually, no you didn't.
http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Bio-neural_gel_pack
"we hope that our work could lead to a new generation of biological processors" doubt it. There was never one in the first place and never will be. There are no real advantages that this research provides over existing tech.
1. silicon and molecular-based circuitry is way more advanced
2. E. coli is a living organism, thus the following factors have to be controlled:
a. sustenance
b. reproduction
c. cell death
d. mutations
3. E coli by itself is already 2 micrometers (10^-6) long.
a. Molecular nanomachines being built are exactly that: sizes range from 10^-8 to 10^-7 meters.
b. intel fab process is already or in the process of mass producing IB, which is already several magnitudes smaller than the E. coli itself
4. E. coli is an opportunistic organism. If in your blood stream, it will lead to sepsis, shock, and death. Last thing I want is an E. coli -based computer floating in my blood stream.
I have no idea which moron modded you down but I got you back to zero at least. People have absolutely no concept of what happens genetically and what COULD happen if these things happen to mutate. Did the downrater watch or read I Am Legend or see Contagion? Guess what you moron, some movies and books have some basis in fact. Go read some early science fiction novels and see how many things we have now that people only dreamed of then. Or read about the Broad Street Cholera outbreak. 150 years ago, humans didn't know that crapping near your water supply was bad. If it looks clear, it must be ok!
We are messing around with stuff we barely understand.