Scientists get funding to grow neural networks in petri dishes
The future of computing isn't silicon or quantum, it's biological.
Key takeaways
- The grant winners say they will use living cells, although they haven’t said what type, to construct a neural network.
- How all these pieces will fit together is really anyone’s guess at this point.
- When scientists at the University of Pennsylvania unveiled their lab grown human mini-brains the scientific community went into uproar and at the moment it’s not clear if this project will raise similar concerns.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2018) 'Scientists get funding to grow neural networks in petri dishes', 311 Institute, 29 September. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/scientists-get-funding-to-grow-neural-networks-in-petri-dishes/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
Will the computers of the future be built in factories as they are today, or will they be grown in labs like cell cultures? You might think that this is a daft question, and that the answer is no, but increasingly the future of computing is not silicon, or even quantum computing, but biological. And to prove it we’ve already built biological computers from living bacteria and human cells that can analyse, store and even play back movies, and the world’s first DNA neural network that I wrote about recently.
Moving on, this is the quite serious question posed by an interdisciplinary team of biologists and computer engineers who won a $500,000 grant this week from the US National Science Foundation whose plan is to spend the money growing a biological computer made out of living cells and programming it to perform computational tasks in common a petri dish.
Naturally details about the upcoming project are scant. The grant winners say they will use living cells, although they haven’t said what type, to construct a neural network. They say they’ll use optogenetics, a biological technique that uses light to control cells, to train the system to recognise handwritten digits, and they say the hybrid project could lead to better understandings of both computers and organic brains. How all these pieces will fit together is really anyone’s guess at this point.
“We hope that neuron scientists will be able to use this technology as a testbed for studying the human brain,” said Yevgeny Berdichevsky, a professor of bioengineering at Lehigh University who’s working on the project, in a press release.
When scientists at the University of Pennsylvania unveiled their lab grown human mini-brains the scientific community went into uproar and at the moment it’s not clear if this project will raise similar concerns. That said though, this work, and the other work I cited at the start, does suggest a radically different vision of future computing where, potentially, everything from buildings to computers could be grown in much the same way that today we “grow” plants or animals.
Source: Lehigh University
What this means for your organisation
Computing may be grown.
Living cells could perform tasks like pattern recognition. Biology becomes a computing platform.
Brain science gains a tool.
Lab grown networks help researchers study how brains learn. Medicine could benefit.
Early days, long horizon.
Details are scant and results are years away. Leaders should watch rather than invest now.
Three questions for your next leadership meeting
- Are we tracking biological computing as a long term option?
- Could living networks aid our neuroscience research?
- What ethical rules would apply to computing with living cells?
The trends and technologies behind this story
From the 311 Starburst, the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit’s map of the technologies and trends shaping the next 50 years.
Analysis by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit, from Matthew Griffin’s article and 311 data. First published on Fanatical Futurist.
FAQ
Why does this matter?
The future of computing isn't silicon or quantum, it's biological.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, President and Futurist, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
Read full bio
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 17-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder, President and Futurist of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Sources and further reading
- won a $500,000 grant this week lehigh.edu
- National Science Foundation nsf.gov
- Optogenetics en.wikipedia.org
- Lehigh University www1.lehigh.edu
- Minibrain human brain cells science ethical research university of pennsylvania a8521091 independent.co.uk
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 29 September 2018. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2018). Scientists get funding to grow neural networks in petri dishes. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/scientists-get-funding-to-grow-neural-networks-in-petri-dishes/
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