Cell-scale autonomous CMOS motes for intracellular bioelectronics

Abstract Integrating autonomous electronics within single cells has remained beyond the reach of modern bioelectronics. Miniaturization at this scale could transform our ability to study and actuate biological processes at the cellular level, complementing existing molecular and fluorescent approaches. As these devices approach the sub-100-µm length scale, volumetric constraints demand fundamentally new approaches to power delivery and telemetry. Here, we report an optically powered 10-picoliter complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) mote that operates with a power density of 1 pW/pL, comparable to the metabolic rate of cellular systems. These fully CMOS motes can be manufactured at scale yielding 1000 motes from a 4-mm2 silicon die. Multiple motes can be simultaneously powered and interrogated within a single optical field of view using epifluorescence microscopy. We demonstrate intracellular implantation of these motes within the single-celled mixotrophic dinoflagellate Noctiluca scintillans with negligible cytoplasmic displacement, pushing the boundaries of active CMOS bioelectronics to the intracellular domain and establishing a next-generation of truly cell-scale bioelectronic interfaces Teaser A 10-pL autonomous CMOS mote with fluorescence-based backscatter communication enables cell-scale sensing. Competing Interest Statement GR and KLS are listed as inventors on a patent filed by Columbia University (patent no. US 12,247,919 B2, published 11 Mar 2025). The other authors declare that they have no competing interests.