Utilizes synthetic DNA to make the most complex biochemical circuits

According to Xinhua News Agency, Washington, DC, researchers at the California Institute of Technology in California used artificially synthesized DNA (DNA) molecules to make the most complex biochemical circuits ever produced in vitro. Researchers say that the purpose of designing such a circuit is not to compete with the electronic computer, but to explore the principles of biological systems processing information.

In a traditional computer, the logic gates of the basic components of an integrated circuit are made of transistors, but in this newly made biochemical circuit, the logic gates consist of short single-stranded DNA and partially double-stranded characteristic DNA. The transistor flows in and out of the transistor as the signal, while the DNA logic gate receives and emits the signal as a signal.

The researchers reported in the latest issue of the journal Science that they designed multiple circuits, the largest of which included 74 different DNA molecules that could calculate the square root of integers no greater than 15 and gave an answer less than The largest integer of square root. The researchers read the calculated answer by monitoring the concentration of the output signal molecules in the test tube solution. The entire calculation process takes about 10 hours.

The researchers said that designing biochemical circuits with decision-making capabilities can help better control the molecular responses used in bioengineering, chemical engineering, and biochemical industries. For example, in the future, a biochemical circuit designed and synthesized can be placed in a clinical blood sample to measure the level of various molecules in the sample, and then make a pathological diagnosis based on this information.