- A 2012 paper (Lugo et al., Biomedical Optics Express) shows that prostate-cancer cells and cortical neurons can be remotely controlled by attaching them to CdTe/CdSe quantum-dot films and exciting the dots with light, producing measurable hyper- or depolarization via ion-channel activation.

- A New England Journal of Medicine study (Suthana et al., 2012) reports that deep-brain stimulation of the entorhinal cortex can enhance human memory formation, suggesting a therapeutic route for memory disorders.

- Channel participants brainstormed mass-market applications for inexpensive DNA synthesizers, including “nootropic yogurt,” custom craft beers, designer aquarium plants, glowing lawn grass, carbon-credit microbes, and hobbyist gardening kits.

- A technical vision was outlined for an integrated “lab-on-chip” pipeline that combines on-chip DNA synthesis, electroporation/transformation of GRAS organisms like yogurt bacteria, and low-cost fluorescence or TLC read-outs to enable iterative directed-evolution cycles at home.

- Safety and regulatory realities were highlighted: DHS already tracks registered DNA synthesizers, and industrial enzymes or non-ingestible bioplastics are viewed as nearer-term, regulation-light markets compared to pharma timelines.

- Microsoft’s BioCoder project was criticized as overly verbose “awful” lab-automation code, underscoring the need for better open-source lab scripting tools, while a REST-style “DNA API” (github.com/delinquentme/sapi) and existing BioJSON parsers (github.com/levskaya/BioJSON) were discussed as alternative approaches.

- Participants explored the economics of DIY-bio supply chains, noting that bulk chemicals are hard to redistribute cheaply because major suppliers already operate at scale and often restrict sales, making repackaging into hobbyist “starter kits” unlikely to be profitable.

- A concept for inducible-gene edible microbes was described: gut-resident bacteria that synthesize a desired protein and can be shut down (or killed) by ingesting a specific spice, illustrating emerging synthetic-biotic therapeutic ideas.

- A working ezproxy credential (bradfordcollege) was shared for bypassing paywalls, illustrating ongoing tactics for open-access literature within the DIY-bio community.