Transcriptor
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A transcriptor is a transistor-like device composed of DNA and RNA rather than a semiconducting material such as silicon. Prior to its invention in 2013, the transcriptor was considered an important component to build biological computers.[1]
Background
To function, a modern computer needs three different capabilities: It must be able to store information, transmit information between components, and possess a basic system of logic.[2] Prior to March 2013, scientists had successfully demonstrated the ability to store and transmit data using biological components made of proteins and DNA.[2] Simple two-terminal logic gates had been demonstrated, but required multiple layers of inputs and thus were impractical due to scaling difficulties.[3]
Invention and description
On March 28, 2013, a team of bioengineers from Stanford University led by Drew Endy announced that they had created the biological equivalent of a transistor, which they named a "transcriptor". That is, they created a three-terminal device with a logic system that can control other components.[2][3] The transcriptor regulates the flow of RNA polymerase across a strand of DNA using special combinations of enzymes to control movement.[1] According to project member Jerome Bonnet, "The choice of enzymes is important. We have been careful to select enzymes that function in bacteria, fungi, plants and animals, so that bio-computers can be engineered within a variety of organisms."[1]
Transcriptors can replicate traditional AND, OR, NOR, NAND, XOR, and XNOR gates with equivalents, which Endy dubbed "Boolean Integrase Logic (BIL) gates", in a single-layer process (i.e., without requiring multiple instances of the simpler gates to build up more complex ones).[2][3] Like a traditional transistor, a transcriptor can amplify an input signal.[1] A group of transcriptors can do almost any type of computing, including counting and comparison.[2][4]
Impact
Stanford dedicated the BIL gate's design to the public domain, which may speed its adoption.[1] According to Endy, other researchers were already using the gates to reprogram metabolism when the Stanford team published its research.[4]
Computing by transcriptor is still very slow; it can take a few hours between receiving an input signal and generating an output.[5] Endy doubted that biocomputers would ever be as fast as traditional computers, but added that is not the goal of his research. "We're building computers that will operate in a place where your cellphone isn't going to work", he said.[2] Medical devices with built-in biological computers could monitor, or even alter, cell behavior from inside a patient's body.[1] ExtremeTech writes: Template:Quote
UC Berkeley biochemical engineer Jay Keasling said the transcriptor "clearly demonstrates the power of synthetic biology and could revolutionize how we compute in the future".[4]
References
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- ^ a b c d e f Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Sebastein Anthony (March 29, 2013). "Stanford creates biological transistors, the final step towards computers inside living cells". Extreme Tech. Retrieved March 29, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Robert T. Gonzalez (March 29, 2013). "This new discovery will finally allow us to build biological computers". IO9. Retrieved March 29, 2013.
- ^ a b c Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Jerome Bonnet; Peter Yin; Monica E. Ortiz; Pakpoom Subsoontorn; Drew Endy (March 28, 2013). "Amplifying Genetic Logic Gates". Science. 340 (6132): 599–603. Bibcode:2013Sci...340..599B. doi:10.1126/science.1232758. PMID 23539178. S2CID 206546590.
- ^ a b c Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Lisa M. Krieger (March 29, 2013). "Biological computer created at Stanford". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved March 29, 2013.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Katherine Bourzac (March 28, 2013). "How to Make a Computer From a Living Cell". MIT Technology Review. Mashable. Retrieved March 30, 2013.
External links
- Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Jerome Bonnet; Peter Yin; Monica E. Ortiz; Pakpoom Subsoontorn; Drew Endy (March 28, 2013). "Amplifying Genetic Logic Gates". Science. 340 (6132): 599–603. Bibcode:2013Sci...340..599B. doi:10.1126/science.1232758. PMID 23539178. S2CID 206546590. - original journal article, published in Science
- Explanatory video created by Drew Endy
- NPR article with series of moving pictures that explain how the transcriptor works
- Public domain release of the BIL gates technology
