DNA Computing

As the lines between real and manufactured continue to blur, and science approaches finer and finer resolutions down to the subatomic scale, emergent technologies are rapidly evolving to radically alter the way humans interact with Nature. Increasingly we are wresting the fundamental tools of creation from the hands of the gods and employing them for our own purposes. A prime example is the discovery that DNA computers can be used to solve extremely complex mathematical problems much more readily than their silicon counterparts. This ingenious bit of repurposing appears to have many practical applications, as noted in the article cited below. But perhaps far more importantly, DNA computing represents a powerful element contributing to the relentless information feedback loop, coiling more & more tightly towards a
dramatic shift in the way humanity regards itself. Nature helps us build better computers, better computers help us build more accurate models of nature and plumb the depths of matter which, in turn, allow us to build even better computers. Information feeds itself. Technology is rapidly accelerating, hurtling us towards a not-too-distant future where the human imagination will manifest itself everywhere in Nature.

But back to the current reality, the AP Newswire reports on the recent development of a potentially-injectible molecular-scale biocomputer composed of DNA and enzymes, further blurring the lines between science fiction and reality.

From the article:

The molecular-scale device, which is essentially a liquid mixture of synthetic DNA and enzymes, is designed to sniff out chemical signs of disease and pump out drugs in response.

Molecular computers have only been around for a decade. Instead of micro chips and processors, they harness the software-like ability of DNA strands to store information. Enzymes "read" chemical sequences on the DNA in a way that allows the computer to perform calculations.

Experts say such computers could become extremely powerful, given DNA's potential to store huge amounts of information. The computing power of 1 trillion compact discs could be stored in less than an ounce of dried DNA.

"It's really an ingenious concept," Reif said of Shapiro's computer. "This could have a major significance in the medical world, if only they could get it in the cell."

In the future, a doctor might inject trillions of the devices into a patient. The computer is designed to detect cancer by monitoring concentrations of certain molecules. If cancer is detected, the computer releases other molecules that interfere with a cancer cell's activities and cause it to self-destruct.

Unlike many of its predecessors, the computer is autonomous -- it doesn't need supervision or added chemicals to make it work.

Shapiro, who received a U.S. patent for a previous version in 2001, said the new computer worked fine detecting chemical markers of lung and prostate cancer in lab experiments using a pristine water solution.

But it could get confused if it were put in a medium teeming with other molecules, Shapiro said. "There could be many reactions with many other molecules that may be detrimental to either the computer or to the cell in which it operates."

Here's another article from National geographic on the same topic.]

Posted by LVX23 at April 30, 2004 09:12 AM | TrackBack