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A Multilayer Microfluidic Platform for the Conduction of Prolonged Cell-Free Gene Expression
Published on: October 6, 2019
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Synthetic mixed-signal computation in living cells
Jacob R Rubens1,2,3, Gianluca Selvaggio1,2,4, Timothy K Lu1,2,3,5
1Synthetic Biology Group, MIT Synthetic Biology Center, Research Laboratory of Electronics, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
Nature Communications
|June 4, 2016
Summary
Researchers developed hybrid synthetic genetic circuits that integrate analogue and digital computation in living cells. This breakthrough enables complex cellular functions and opens doors for new bio-applications.
Area of Science:
- Synthetic Biology
- Systems Biology
- Computational Biology
Background:
- Living cells perform complex computations using both analogue and digital signal processing.
- Current synthetic biology approaches often focus on either analogue or digital computation exclusively.
- Integrating both computational types is crucial for replicating natural cellular complexity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To integrate analogue and digital computation within synthetic genetic circuits in living cells.
- To develop a framework for building gene circuits that can digitize analogue inputs.
- To enable complex, concentration-dependent logic and functions in engineered cells.
Main Methods:
- Designed and implemented comparator gene circuits to digitize analogue signals based on specific thresholds.
- Demonstrated predictable composition of comparators to create advanced circuits like band-pass filters and ternary logic systems.
- Interfaced analogue-to-digital converter circuits with existing digital gene circuits.
Main Results:
- Successfully created a framework for hybrid analogue-digital computation in synthetic gene circuits.
- Engineered circuits capable of multi-level analogue-to-digital conversion and concentration-dependent logic.
- Showcased the modularity and predictability of composed comparator gene circuits.
Conclusions:
- The hybrid computational paradigm offers a powerful approach for engineering cellular functions.
- This integration advances synthetic biology by enabling more sophisticated cellular programs.
- Potential applications include new industrial, diagnostic, and therapeutic uses for engineered cells.
