Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42463924›Full record

ArticleMolecular systems biology2026

Engineered E. coli swarming for binary and analog input recording.

Marian Shaw, Sadhya Garg, Julia Kirby, Samuel Schmidgall, Filippo Liguori, Anjali Doshi, Tao Tu, Tal Danino

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Molecular systems biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Marian ShawDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2011-0798
Sadhya GargDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0006-8410-1379
Julia KirbyDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0005-2107-9453
Samuel SchmidgallGoogle DeepMind, Mountain View, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8192-9337
Filippo LiguoriDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2859-6953
Anjali DoshiDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3305-5502
Tao TuGoogle DeepMind, Mountain View, CA, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9191-7938
Tal DaninoDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA. tal.danino@columbia.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2713-7659

Funding

Blavatnik Family Foundation (BFF) Blavatnik Fund for Innovations in HealthNational Science Foundation (NSF) NSF1847356NSF | National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) DGE-2036197; Fellow ID 2018264757
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Many bacterial species form self-organized macroscale patterns through swarming. Despite its extensive genetic tractability, Escherichia coli remains underexplored for robust, applied control of swarming. Here we develop a set of E. coli strains that generate centimeter-scale swarming patterns to spatially record environmental inputs. Specifically, we modulate the expression of swarming-related genes in response to chemical and optical signals, reshaping baseline swarm patterns in analog or binary-like fashions. To decode bacterial patterns across space and time, we develop scalable computational methods incorporating feature extraction, regression, and deep-learning models. Time-lapse imaging reveals that colonies record inputs dynamically, enabling early-stage classification. This work establishes a strategy for spatial information recording in E. coli and expands the toolkit for programming emergent microbial behaviors at macroscopic scales.

Indexed as

Escherichia coliEscherichia coli ProteinsGene Expression Regulation, BacterialGenetic EngineeringModels, BiologicalTime-Lapse ImagingEscherichia coli Proteins

Identifiers

PMID42463924
PMCPMC13538604

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.