Biological computation: Difference between revisions
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One possible application of biological computation is the administration of chemotherapy. The underlying idea is that bacteria are arranged to invade a tumor to selectively produce a drug that kills the tumor. Within the injected bacteria is an embedded controller that executes the logical computation "If ''X'' is present, produce ''Y''" or possibly, " | One possible application of biological computation is the administration of chemotherapy. The underlying idea is that bacteria are arranged to invade a tumor to selectively produce a drug that kills the tumor. Within the injected bacteria is an embedded controller that executes the logical computation "If ''X'' is present, produce ''Y''" or possibly, "If the rate of change of ''X'' is within certain bounds, produce ''Y''", thereby activating the bacteria.<ref name=Anderson/> | ||
== References == | == References == | ||
Revision as of 15:32, 4 August 2011
In the most literal interpretation of the term, biological computation refers to computation of a biological nature — in particular, biological systems that imbed mathematical operations — hence, its application to the emerging subdiscipline of biology that explores and exploits the use of biological systems to perform mathematical/computational operations and achieve solutions to mathematical/computational problems — for example, computing with DNA molecules[1] — and that studies the natural occurrence of computational processes in biological and living systems.[2][3][4]
Embedded controllers
One possible application of biological computation is the administration of chemotherapy. The underlying idea is that bacteria are arranged to invade a tumor to selectively produce a drug that kills the tumor. Within the injected bacteria is an embedded controller that executes the logical computation "If X is present, produce Y" or possibly, "If the rate of change of X is within certain bounds, produce Y", thereby activating the bacteria.[5]
References
- ↑ Kari L, Landweber LF. (2000). "Computing with DNA". Methods in Molecular Biology: Bioinformatics methods and protocols 132: pp. 413-430.
- ↑ Bray D. (2009). Wetware: A Computer in Every Living Cell. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300141733. Google Books preview.
- ↑ Landweber LF, Kari L. (1999). "The evolution of cellular computing: nature’s solution to a computational problem". Biosystems 52: pp. 3-13.
- ↑ Simeonov PL (2010). "Integral biomathics: A post-Newtonian view into the logos of bios". Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology: pp. 85-121. DOI:10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2010.01.005. Research Blogging. Proof of article as published online.
- ↑ JC Anderson, EJ Clarke, AP Arkin, CA Voigt (2005). "Environmentally controlled invasion of cancer cells by engineered bacteria". Journal of Molecular Biology,: pp. 619 ff. DOI:10.1016/j.jmb.2005.10.076. Research Blogging.