Electronics and Biotechnology Advanced (Elba) Forum Series – serie

This volume represents the fIrst of a series of proceedings of the EL.B.A. Forum on Bioelectronics, a scientifIc discipline at the frontiers of Advanced Electronics and Biotechnology. The name for these forums derives not only from the place (the Isle of Elba in Italy), where the conferences have been held every 6 months since 1991, but also from an acronym: Electronics and Biotechnology Advanced. Bioelectronics is intended as "the use of biological materials and biological architectures for information processing and sensing systems and devices down to molecular level" and focuses its attention on three major areas: I New hardware architectures borrowed from the thorough study of brain and sensory systems down to the molecular level, utilizing existing semiconductor inorganic materials (both GaAs and Si) and giga-scale integration; II Protein Engineering, especially of systems involved in electron transfer and molecular recognition, integrated with Metabolism and Chemical Engineering, to develop new biomaterials by learning basic rules of macromolecular folding and self-assembly; m Sensors, thin film and electronic devices utilizing organic compounds and biopolymers, and by implementing nanotechnology bottom up through manufacturing and characterization at the atomic level.

The present volume is a continuation of the EL.B.A. Forum Series, which was initiated in the spring of 1995 with the first volume, entitled From Neural Network and Biomolecular Engineering to Bioelectronics, in which a brief outline of modem bioelectron­ ics given as "the use of biological materials and biological architectures for information processing and sensing systems and devices down to molecular level. " The present volume highlights the aspects of advanced biotechnology and electronics originating from molecular manufacturing, which has been emerging as an independent branch of research. This volume appears in a crucial moment, when significant progress has already been made in this strategic field and when technologies derived from it are recognized as critical for the welfare of our society. In addition, acknowledging to the Italian Ministry of University and Scientific and Technological Research for launching the National Research Program "Technologies for Bioelectronics" in 1992 and for continuation of support of this advanced multidisciplinary research, we would like to acknowledge the support of the National Research Council of Italy through the "Molecular Manufacturing" CNR Strategic Project since 1994. The significant unique role of Technobiochip in the organization of the EL.B.A. Forums and in bringing to light the enormous industrial potential of bioelectronics is duly acknowledged, as well as its attraction and support of top level scientists to the series of EL.B.A. Forums of which this volume is part. Dr. Sergey Vakula of the EL.B.A.

The present volume is a continuation ofthe EL.B.A. Forum Series which was initiated in the spring of 1992 in Marciana Marina (Italy), with the first volume entitled From Neural Networks and Biomolecu/ar Engineering to Bioelectronics published by Plenum Press in 1995. Bioelectronics-miginally introduced in April, 1987, at a symposium hosted by CIREF, a research consortium among leading high tech industries in Novara (Italy)---was later defined in two successive consensus reports at the first (Bruxelles, 1991) and second (Frankfurt, 1994) European Union Workshops on this widely interdisciplinary field, as "the use ofbiological materials and biological architectures for information processing and sens- ing systems and devices down to molecular Ievel." lt is worth noting that these workshops gave birth to the first European research program on "lnterfacing Biology with Electronics" during 1996-1999, following the !arge Programma Nazionale Ricerca on "Technologies for Bioelectronics" launched by the ltalian Ministry ofUniversities and Research in 1990.In autumn, 1996, with the second volume, entitledMolecular Manufacturing, the em- phasis was placed on the ernerging parallel area of nanotechnology, independently initiated in Palo Alto, Zurich, Genova, Mainz, and Tokyo by various groups (i.e., IBM, Xerox, Polo Nazionale Bioelettronica, Max Planck Institutes), universities (i.e., Stanford, Genova, Rice, Tokyo), and organizations (i.e., Foresight, Erato, Fondazione EL.B.A., Frontiers Research, MITI) of different sizes, scopes, and latitudes.

The present volume is a continuation ofthe EL.B.A. Forum Series which was initiated in the spring of 1992 in Marciana Marina (Italy), with the first volume entitled From Neural Networks and Biomolecu/ar Engineering to Bioelectronics published by Plenum Press in 1995. Bioelectronics-miginally introduced in April, 1987, at a symposium hosted by CIREF, a research consortium among leading high tech industries in Novara (Italy)---was later defined in two successive consensus reports at the first (Bruxelles, 1991) and second (Frankfurt, 1994) European Union Workshops on this widely interdisciplinary field, as "the use ofbiological materials and biological architectures for information processing and sens- ing systems and devices down to molecular Ievel." lt is worth noting that these workshops gave birth to the first European research program on "lnterfacing Biology with Electronics" during 1996-1999, following the !arge Programma Nazionale Ricerca on "Technologies for Bioelectronics" launched by the ltalian Ministry ofUniversities and Research in 1990.In autumn, 1996, with the second volume, entitledMolecular Manufacturing, the em- phasis was placed on the ernerging parallel area of nanotechnology, independently initiated in Palo Alto, Zurich, Genova, Mainz, and Tokyo by various groups (i.e., IBM, Xerox, Polo Nazionale Bioelettronica, Max Planck Institutes), universities (i.e., Stanford, Genova, Rice, Tokyo), and organizations (i.e., Foresight, Erato, Fondazione EL.B.A., Frontiers Research, MITI) of different sizes, scopes, and latitudes.

The present volume is a continuation of the EL.B.A. Forum Series, which was initiated in the spring of 1995 with the first volume, entitled From Neural Network and Biomolecular Engineering to Bioelectronics, in which a brief outline of modem bioelectron­ ics given as "the use of biological materials and biological architectures for information processing and sensing systems and devices down to molecular level. " The present volume highlights the aspects of advanced biotechnology and electronics originating from molecular manufacturing, which has been emerging as an independent branch of research. This volume appears in a crucial moment, when significant progress has already been made in this strategic field and when technologies derived from it are recognized as critical for the welfare of our society. In addition, acknowledging to the Italian Ministry of University and Scientific and Technological Research for launching the National Research Program "Technologies for Bioelectronics" in 1992 and for continuation of support of this advanced multidisciplinary research, we would like to acknowledge the support of the National Research Council of Italy through the "Molecular Manufacturing" CNR Strategic Project since 1994. The significant unique role of Technobiochip in the organization of the EL.B.A. Forums and in bringing to light the enormous industrial potential of bioelectronics is duly acknowledged, as well as its attraction and support of top level scientists to the series of EL.B.A. Forums of which this volume is part. Dr. Sergey Vakula of the EL.B.A.