Microsoft has taken quite an interest in the potential of DNA in computing over the years. Last year Microsoft researchers set a record for DNA data storage.(Itsrecord was beaten this year). <\/p>\n
Now Microsoft is turning its attention to the other half of DNA computing, the processor. Researchers at Microsoft have teamed up with scientists at the University of Washington to find a way toward creating super fast computations using DNA molecules. <\/p>\n
In research described in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, the scientists have developed a method for spatially organizing DNA molecules in regular intervals on a DNA origami surface. That surface is essentially a bunch of DNA strands that have been folded in ways similiar to the techniques of the Japanese art of paper folding. The results offer a new approach to creating DNA logic gates and and the interconnects that link them. <\/p>\n
These nanoscale computational circuits are made from synthetic DNA, dubbbed DNA dominocircuits. These are made from several different strands of synthetic DNA. For example a transmission line consists of hairpin loops of DNA strands with one end afixed to the origami surface. When inputand fuel DNA strands are poured on, they break the loops in the transmission line strands and force them to bend over and link up with their neighbor strandone after another like dominoes fallinguntil they form a line of DNA on the substrate. <\/p>\n
They used these transmission lines and other structures to make elementary AND and OR gates with two inputs. The researchers were able to to make more complex circuits by linking these elementary gates together. <\/p>\n
The molecular components of the device are spatially positioned in close proximity to one another, explained Andrew Phillips, the head of biological computation group at Microsoft, in an e-mail interview with IEEE Spectrum. In our case, the molecular components are DNA strands, and they are fixed in place by attaching them to a DNA origami wafer, which acts as a sort of molecular breadboard. <\/p>\n
In the past, most computational DNA devices consisted mainly of freely-diffusing DNA strands in a chemical soup. Since all of the strands are freely diffusing, they can bump into each other at random and interfere with each other. <\/p>\n
In our case, the components of the devices are positioned closeto each other and held in place by a molecular breadboard, such that they are much more likely to interact with their immediate neighbors, and much less likely to interact with other components that are further away, which substantially reduces interference, said Phillips. <\/p>\n
Our devices do still rely on the presence of a diffusible fuel molecule, so they are not fully-localized, but since most of the components are localized the computation is still significantly faster than a system in which all of the components are feely diffusing, said Phillips. <\/p>\n
All of this close positioning leads to molecular scale computation that is much faster than the relatively slow process of random diffusionminutes instead of hours. In the research, the scientists measured these devices computing a logical AND using three molecular inputs in seven minutes, compared to four hours for an equivalent DNA circuit with diffusible components. <\/p>\n
The production of these devices could be fairly scalable, because they leverage self-assembly, in which the molecules organize themselves. The devices are designed to be integrated within a DNA breadboard and we rely on the self-assembly of the breadboard to precisely position the interacting DNA components, said Phillips. <\/p>\n
The next step for the researchers will be to investigate how to build larger circuitsby increasing the size of the DNA breadboard. This will require advances in DNA origami techniques. <\/p>\n
Phillips added: In addition, we plan to interface these devices with disease biomarkers such as RNA, so that computational logic can be used to accurately diagnose the presence of certain viruses or cancers, initially in blood samples and, ultimately, inside a living cell. <\/p>\n
IEEE Spectrums nanotechnology blog, featuring news and analysis about the development, applications, and future of science and technology at the nanoscale. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
10 million strands of synthetic DNA will encode mystery data in test 27Apr2016 <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Researchers program DNA to respond at different temperature ranges 29Apr2016 <\/p>\n
The trend of using DNA origami for decreasing feature sizes of chips continues, in the masking and etching of silicon3Aug2011 <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Exotic new \"semimetal\" ushers in age of quantum-inspired materials that skirt some classical limitations of physics 19Jul <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Entire optical chip size has been reduced to a submicron size 19Jul <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
New technique promises chip-scale spin-wave devices for spin-wave computers 13Jul <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
A 3D stack of silicon logic, resistive RAM, nanotube circuits, and sensors uses new architecture and devices to save energy 6Jul <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
A humble timer chip that became the Swiss Army knife of countless circuits 30Jun <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Deep Blues logic chip powered the first major victory of an AI over a human 30Jun <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
This solid-state, high-power amp brought big sound to inexpensive devices 30Jun <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Hardware that can transform itself on command has proven incredibly useful 30Jun <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The stories of the greatest and most influential microchips in historyand the people who built them 30Jun <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Intersils somewhat cranky chip brought complex sound generation to consumer electronics 30Jun <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
This chip became the de facto standard for analog amplifier ICs. Still in production, its available everywhere there are electronics 30Jun <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Nanotubes offer a path towards meeting an ITRS benchmark a decade from now 29Jun <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
IBM says their stacked nanosheet transistors will give circuit designers more flexibility 5Jun <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
A thin film of a topological insulator could make sci-fi technology a reality 19May <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Commercial ventures in artificial photosynthesis have struggled, but the science is marching on 17May <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Engineers are working on a circuit that will help chip designers avoid vulnerabilities to common radiation-induced errors 16May <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Scott Borg, director of the U.S. Cyber Consequences Unit, says hardware design engineers hold the future of cybersecurity in their hands 15May <\/p>\n
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Here is the original post: Microsoft has taken quite an interest in the potential of DNA in computing over the years. Last year Microsoft researchers set a record for DNA data storage.(Itsrecord was beaten this year). Now Microsoft is turning its attention to the other half of DNA computing, the processor. Continue reading
\nDNA Logic Gets Much Faster - IEEE Spectrum<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"