Biological engineering as an approach to construct smart nanostructured systems

In this short review we explore the design of smart nanostructured systems that are assembled with inspiration from biology. Here we consider the design and assembly of smart nanostructured systems based on “biological engineering”, which was a term introduced formally in 1970 with the intention to integrate engineering with biological systems to move beyond single disciplinary areas such as medicine, agriculture, or fermentation engineering. We further refine the discipline of “biological engineering” to be one that embodies the approach of assembling smart nanostructured systems by utilizing biological proteins, molecules and lipids in combination with synthetic materials. This approach is illustrated with two examples of smart nanostructured systems that utilize ion channels as control elements; the first by genetically modifying a liver cell to secrete insulin, and the second by assembling an artificial cell with purified ion channels incorporated in a lipid bilayer membrane. These examples of smart nanostructured systems are taken from my plenary presentation made at the European Biotechnology Congress that was held at the Harbiye Military Museum in Istanbul, Turkey, from 3rd to 5th October 2024.