Scientists Create Biomolecular Computer

A group of scientists from Israel’s Technion have developed a ‘biological computer’ composed of DNA molecules and enzymes.

The group, led by Professor Ehud Keinan of the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry, has demonstrated, for the first time ever, a molecular computation process which results in a visible property of an organism.

In this study it was the colour of bacteria colony, either blue or white.

Bio-molecular computing devices are not expected to compete with electronic computers in terms of speed or power in relation to traditional computing tasks.

Their advantage is that they can interact directly with biological systems and even with living organisms.

They can do this without the need for an interface since they are composed entirely of molecules which interact in solution along a cascade of programmable chemical events.

The group has now successfully demonstrated that a biological computer can produce an output signal in the form of a specific biological function - in this case by determining the colour of the bacteria - through direct interaction with living organisms.

Further development of the technology could enable a complete computing device to be inserted into a living cell or a tissue in order to help with diagnosis and disease control.

The group also included graduate students Elizaveta Kossoy and Michal Soreni-Harari, Professor Yuval Shoham and Dr Noa Lavid of the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering.