Synthetic analog and digital circuits for cellular computation and memory

Oliver Purcell; Timothy K Lu

doi:10.1016/j.copbio.2014.04.009

Synthetic analog and digital circuits for cellular computation and memory

Curr Opin Biotechnol. 2014 Oct:29:146-55. doi: 10.1016/j.copbio.2014.04.009. Epub 2014 May 8.

Authors

Oliver Purcell¹, Timothy K Lu²

Affiliations

¹ MIT Synthetic Biology Center, 500 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
² MIT Synthetic Biology Center, 500 Technology Square, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. Electronic address: timlu@mit.edu.

Abstract

Biological computation is a major area of focus in synthetic biology because it has the potential to enable a wide range of applications. Synthetic biologists have applied engineering concepts to biological systems in order to construct progressively more complex gene circuits capable of processing information in living cells. Here, we review the current state of computational genetic circuits and describe artificial gene circuits that perform digital and analog computation. We then discuss recent progress in designing gene networks that exhibit memory, and how memory and computation have been integrated to yield more complex systems that can both process and record information. Finally, we suggest new directions for engineering biological circuits capable of computation.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Gene Regulatory Networks*
Genetic Engineering
Humans
Synthetic Biology / methods*

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding