The rapid expansion of the global market for advanced electronics has introduced significant environmental challenges. From the mining of rare earth elements to the energy-intensive manufacturing of semiconductors and the accumulation of hazardous e-waste, our current trajectory is unsustainable. Can biology offer a way forward?

Protein design, an emerging field in synthetic biology recently recognized with a Nobel Prize, enables the creation of functional proteins using computational tools and AI-driven models. Recent breakthroughs have shown that proteins can template the growth of semiconductor materials, paving the way for biofabricated electronics. By encoding these biomineralization systems into bacteria, we can leverage nature’s scalability to revolutionize how materials are made.

This talk will introduce the principles of protein design and protein composite design, outline a vision for sustainable biofabrication, and provide details on a hands-on bootcamp (April 22–24) and a protein design hackathon (April 25). Participants will get the opportunity to explore cutting-edge AI models and how these help to design an electronic device that could potentially be grown in living organisms.

InBio public talks are supported by the Sweden’s innovation agency VINNOVA as part of their Moonshot through Synthetic Biology program