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Therapid progresses in biological and biomedical applications with opticalinterfaces have motivated an ever-increasing demand for biocompatibleand disposable photonic components. Generally, these biophotonic componentsare first integrated with biocompatible materials and then interfacedwith biological samples, such as living cells, for biological use.Therefore, direct formation of biophotonic components using livingcells is greatly desired because the cells would serve simultaneouslyas samples and optical elements for signal sensing and detection.Here, we report an optical strategy for direct formation of biophotonicwaveguides (bio-WGs) with Escherichia coli. The experimentsdemonstrate that this facile optical strategy enables forming bio-WGswith different lengths and good light propagation performances whilethe propagating signal can be detected in real-time. This strategyoffers a seamless interface between optical and biological worldswith natural materials and provides a new opportunity for direct sensingand detection of biological signal and information in biocompatiblemicroenvironments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]