There are a variety of mechanisms by which proteins can potentially conduct electrons over distances. There is increasing interest in whether or not pi stacks can mediate conductivity, and there is also excellent research demonstrating that heme-containing protein wires can efficiently conduct electrons. We are manipulating both pi stacked assemblies (both natural and designed) and heme-containing wires (based primarily on OmcZ) in order to develop a protein-based nanoelectronics framework. We are also working closely with colleagues at Emory (Yongang Ke) and UIUC (Charles Schroeder) on the development of nucleic acid wires, and hybrid nucleic acid:protein wires.