title: A synthetic biology challenge: making cells compute.
abstract: Advances in biology and engineering have enabled the reprogramming of cells with well-defined functions, leading to the emergence of synthetic biology. Early successes in this nascent field suggest its potential to impact diverse areas. Here, we examine the feasibility of engineering circuits for cell-based computation. We illustrate the basic concepts by describing the mapping of several computational problems to engineered gene circuits. Revolving around these examples and past studies, we discuss technologies and computational methods available to design, test, and optimize gene circuits. We conclude with discussion of challenges involved in a typical design cycle, as well as those specific to cellular computation.
authors: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
authors: Cheemeng
authors: C
authors: Tan
authors: Hao
authors: H
authors: Song
authors: Jarad
authors: J
authors: Niemi
authors: Lingchong
authors: L
authors: You
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D002468:Cell Physiological Phenomena; D019295:Computational Biology / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D005818:Genetic Engineering / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D008954:Models, Biological