Scientists have built a biological computer that fits within the cells

This means we can integrate biological computers into cancer tumors to monitor their activity.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) engineers have developed biological computing circuits capable of memorizing and responding to input sequences.

Published in Science this week, this success marks an important step in the integration of DNA memory into biological cells , further paving the way for the construction of computer systems. large parts of plants and animals as well as programming complex biological functions for living organisms.

Nathaniel Roquet and colleagues at the MIT Synthetic Biology Group were able to build a device called a state machine . The reason for this bio-computer is called a state machine because this is the term describing computing as a series of different states in an operation cycle to perform the desired tasks. In a computer system, this state will transition to another state through translation events. A state will be the result of the previous state resonating with the new input data entered. State machines also refer to large systems that include many elements, from natural language processing, complex algorithms to simple programming algorithms for an automatic vending machine.

We all know in a living cell , DNA (often called DNA) is a molecule that stores natural genetic information. The exact task of DNA is to store information. And Roquet and his colleagues are creating a framework for manipulating, manipulating (using chemicals) DNA by encoding computing states into DNA sequences. This allows us to see states across gene sequences as well as control gene expression traits through transition events. In other words, these states can be connected to activities within the cell. Meanwhile, the DNA acts as the memory of the above mentioned state machine. The problem now is just how these DNA will be controlled and how they affect the activities in the cell that contain them.

In his experiments, Roquet and his colleagues programmed E. coli cells in response to substances commonly used in research experiments, including tetracycline antibiotic analogs, arabinose sugar. and DAPG chemicals can help plants protect their roots from diseases. Cells can be reprogrammed into other desired forms.

" State machines store and respond to signal sequences and transgenic phenomena that take place inside a cell can become a tool for studying and regulating complex living systems, " Roquet said . In other words, by operating state machines in living cells, we will be able to monitor the unprecedented activities and phenomena that take place inside the cells.

For example, original cells, similar to stem cells, will be able to develop into many types of cells with different functions thanks to transcription factors and gene regulation proteins inside the cell. Transcription factors allow researchers to program original cells into specific functional cells. However, this process includes what is still not clear. A state machine can record changes in DNA.

Roquet took more examples of integrating such biological computers into cancer tumors, where they are used to monitor the activity of cancer cells as well as inhibit the activity of tumors in each cell contains them.

Roquet said: "The idea of ​​being able to record and respond to not only biological activities inside cells but also control them can open a lot of important applications in the future. We know a lot about the factors that cause many kinds of illnesses but are not yet fully aware of their mechanism of arrangement and activity, which is one of the problems that researchers have the opportunity to delve into. with this new bio-computer device. "

When computers are implanted into cells and become living organisms, we "program " the damaged cells as well as strengthen some parts of the body and plants.