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On March 28, 2013, a team of [[bioengineer]]s from [[Stanford University]] led by [[Drew Endy]] announced that had created the biological equivalent of a transistor, which they dubbed a "transcriptor". That is, they created a three terminal device with a system of logic capable of controlling the function of other components.<ref name=IO9 /><ref name=paper /> Specifically, the transcriptor works by regulating the flow of [[RNA polymerase]] across a strand of DNA using special combinations of enzymes to control movement.<ref name=Extreme>{{cite news|title=Stanford creates biological transistors, the final step towards computers inside living cells|author=Sebastein Anthony|date=March 29, 2013|work=Extreme Tech|url=http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/152074-stanford-creates-biological-transistors-the-final-step-towards-computers-inside-living-cells|accessdate=March 29, 2013}}</ref> 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."<ref name=Extreme />
On March 28, 2013, a team of [[bioengineer]]s from [[Stanford University]] led by [[Drew Endy]] announced that had created the biological equivalent of a transistor, which they dubbed a "transcriptor". That is, they created a three terminal device with a system of logic capable of controlling the function of other components.<ref name=IO9 /><ref name=paper /> Specifically, the transcriptor works by regulating the flow of [[RNA polymerase]] across a strand of DNA using special combinations of enzymes to control movement.<ref name=Extreme>{{cite news|title=Stanford creates biological transistors, the final step towards computers inside living cells|author=Sebastein Anthony|date=March 29, 2013|work=Extreme Tech|url=http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/152074-stanford-creates-biological-transistors-the-final-step-towards-computers-inside-living-cells|accessdate=March 29, 2013}}</ref> 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."<ref name=Extreme />


Different transcriptors can replicate traditional [[AND gate|AND]], [[OR gate|OR]], [[NOR gate|NOR]], [[NAND gate|NAND]], [[XOR gate|XOR]], and [[XNOR gate]]s, with equivalents 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).<ref name=IO9 /><ref name=paper /> Like a traditional transistor, a transcriptor is also capable of amplifying an input signal.<ref name=Extreme /> A group of transcriptors is able to do nearly any sort of computING desired, including counting and comparison.<ref name=IO9 /><ref name=SJMN />
Different transcriptors can replicate traditional [[AND gate|AND]], [[OR gate|OR]], [[NOR gate|NOR]], [[NAND gate|NAND]], [[XOR gate|XOR]], and [[XNOR gate]]s, with equivalents 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).<ref name=IO9 /><ref name=paper /> Like a traditional transistor, a transcriptor is also capable of amplifying an input signal.<ref name=Extreme /> A group of transcriptors is able to do nearly any sort of computing desired, including counting and comparison.<ref name=IO9 /><ref name=SJMN />


==Impact==
==Impact==
Standford has donated the BIL gate design into public domain, which may help facilitate it adoption.<ref name=Extreme /> According to Endy, the gates were already being used by other researchers to reprogram [[metabolism]] at the time the transcriptor research was published.<ref name=SJMN />
Standford has donated the BIL gate design into public domain, which may help facilitate it adoption.<ref name=Extreme /> According to Endy, the gates were already being used by other researchers to reprogram [[metabolism]] at the time the transcriptor research was published.<ref name=SJMN />


Endy said it was doubtful that biocomputers would ever be faster than traditional computers, but noted 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.<ref name=IO9 /> The most probable use is considered to be medical devices that can monitor, or even alter, cell behavior from inside a patient's body.<ref name=Extreme /> On the potential for biocomputing, ''[[ExtremeTech]]'' writes:
Computing via a transcriptor is currently very slow - it can take a few hours between an input signal and an output.<ref>{{cite news|title=How to Make a Computer From a Living Cell|author=Katherine Bourzac|work=MIT Technology Review|publisher=Mashable|date=March 28, 2013|url=http://mashable.com/2013/03/28/computer-from-living-cell/|accessdate=March 30, 2013}}</ref> Endy said it was doubtful that biocomputers would ever be as fast as traditional computers, but noted 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.<ref name=IO9 /> The most probable use is considered to be medical devices that can monitor, or even alter, cell behavior from inside a patient's body.<ref name=Extreme /> On the potential for biocomputing, ''[[ExtremeTech]]'' writes:
{{quote|Moving forward, though, the potential for real biological computers is immense. We are essentially talking about fully-functional computers that can sense their surroundings, and then manipulate their host cells into doing just about anything. Biological computers might be used as an early-warning system for disease, or simply as a diagnostic tool&nbsp;... Biological computers could tell their host cells to stop producing insulin, to pump out more adrenaline, to reproduce some healthy cells to combat disease, or to stop reproducing if cancer is detected. Biological computers will probably obviate the use of many pharmaceutical drugs.<ref name=Extreme />}}
{{quote|Moving forward, though, the potential for real biological computers is immense. We are essentially talking about fully-functional computers that can sense their surroundings, and then manipulate their host cells into doing just about anything. Biological computers might be used as an early-warning system for disease, or simply as a diagnostic tool&nbsp;... Biological computers could tell their host cells to stop producing insulin, to pump out more adrenaline, to reproduce some healthy cells to combat disease, or to stop reproducing if cancer is detected. Biological computers will probably obviate the use of many pharmaceutical drugs.<ref name=Extreme />}}


Revision as of 17:24, 30 March 2013

A transcriptor is a transistor-like device composed of DNA and RNA rather than a semiconducting material such as silicon. Before its invention, the transcriptor was considered the "final component required to build biological computers."[1]

Background

To function, a modern computer needs different capabilities. It must be able to store information; it must be able to transmit information between components; and it needs 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 had created the biological equivalent of a transistor, which they dubbed a "transcriptor". That is, they created a three terminal device with a system of logic capable of controlling the function of other components.[2][3] Specifically, the transcriptor works by regulating 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]

Different transcriptors can replicate traditional AND, OR, NOR, NAND, XOR, and XNOR gates, with equivalents 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 is also capable of amplifying an input signal.[1] A group of transcriptors is able to do nearly any sort of computing desired, including counting and comparison.[2][4]

Impact

Standford has donated the BIL gate design into public domain, which may help facilitate it adoption.[1] According to Endy, the gates were already being used by other researchers to reprogram metabolism at the time the transcriptor research was published.[4]

Computing via a transcriptor is currently very slow - it can take a few hours between an input signal and an output.[5] Endy said it was doubtful that biocomputers would ever be as fast as traditional computers, but noted 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] The most probable use is considered to be medical devices that can monitor, or even alter, cell behavior from inside a patient's body.[1] On the potential for biocomputing, ExtremeTech writes:

Moving forward, though, the potential for real biological computers is immense. We are essentially talking about fully-functional computers that can sense their surroundings, and then manipulate their host cells into doing just about anything. Biological computers might be used as an early-warning system for disease, or simply as a diagnostic tool ... Biological computers could tell their host cells to stop producing insulin, to pump out more adrenaline, to reproduce some healthy cells to combat disease, or to stop reproducing if cancer is detected. Biological computers will probably obviate the use of many pharmaceutical drugs.[1]

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

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Sebastein Anthony (March 29, 2013). "Stanford creates biological transistors, the final step towards computers inside living cells". Extreme Tech. Retrieved March 29, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Robert T. Gonzalez (March 29, 2013). "This new discovery will finally allow us to build biological computers". IO9. Retrieved March 29, 2013.
  3. ^ a b c Jerome Bonnet; Peter Yin; Monica E. Ortiz; Pakpoom Subsoontorn; Drew Endy (March 28, 2013). "Amplifying Genetic Logic Gates". Science.
  4. ^ a b c Lisa M. Krieger (March 29, 2013). "Biological computer created at Stanford". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved March 29, 2013.
  5. ^ Katherine Bourzac (March 28, 2013). "How to Make a Computer From a Living Cell". MIT Technology Review. Mashable. Retrieved March 30, 2013.
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