How are molecular informatics related to computers?
Table of Contents
Instead of relying on the binary digital logic of computers based on the Von Neumann architecture, Molecular Informatics aims to investigate and exploit the wide range of structural characteristics and properties of molecules to encode and manipulate data.
Do molecular computers exist?
DNA computers can’t be found at your local electronics store yet. The technology is still in development, and didn’t even exist as a concept a decade ago. In 1994, Leonard Adleman introduced the idea of using DNA to solve complex mathematical problems.
What are DNA based computers?
DNA computing is an emerging branch of computing which uses DNA, biochemistry, and molecular biology hardware, instead of the traditional electronic computing. Research and development in this area concerns theory, experiments, and applications of DNA computing.
How does DNA computing work?
With DNA, the way the molecules can be triggered to bind with each other can be used to create a circuit of logic gates in test tubes. In one method, called DNA strand displacement, the input of DNA that binds to a DNA logic gate displaces a strand of DNA that serves as the output.
What is molecular information systems?
Molecular information systems are defined as the information systems whose structures are based directly on molecules, their properties and bonds between them. The molecules are groups of atoms held together by bonds. Spatial ar- rangement of atoms composing a molecule is defined as the molecular structure.
What can DNA based computers do?
DNA computing can be harnessed to act along with the living cells to provide new detection methods in medical devices. With the flexible molecular algorithms on the rise, one might be able to assemble a complex entity on the nanoscale with the reprogrammable tile set.
How do DNA computers work?
Instead of using electrical signals to perform logical operations, these DNA logic gates rely on DNA code. They detect fragments of genetic material as input, splice together these fragments and form a single output.
Who built the DNA computer?
Leonard Adleman
It was Leonard Adleman, professor of computer science and molecular biology at the University of Southern California, USA, who pioneered the field when he built the first DNA based computer (L. M. Adleman, Science 266, 1021–102; 1994 [PubMed] [Google Scholar]).
Where might DNA based computers be able to work?
Most likely, DNA computing will be harnessed to work inside living cells and combine with their existing machinery, making new methods of disease detection and treatment possible.