Communications of the ACM
New Device Could Make Large Biological Circuits Practical
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a device that could enable biological circuits to behave almost as predictably as electronic circuits.
Credit: Christine Daniloff/MIT (yeast cell images from National Institutes of Health)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers have developed a new kind of load driver, a device that could enable biological circuits to behave almost as predictably as electronic circuits.
Biological circuits have many potential applications, according to the researchers. "One specific one we're working on is biosensing--cells that can detect specific molecules in the environment and produce a specific output in response," says MIT professor Domitilla Del Vecchio. She says the new load driver is similar to load drivers used in electronic circuits in that it provides a kind of buffer between the signal and the output, preventing the effects of the signaling from backing up through the system and causing delays in outputs.
The new load driver could escalate the complexity of biological circuits, opening up new possible applications while ensuring their operation is robust and predictable, according to Del Vecchio.
"Del Vecchio and (MIT professor of biological engineering Ron) Weiss have made a major advance for the field by creating a genetic device that can account for and correct for such interactions, leading to more predictable circuit behavior," says Boston University professor James Collins.
From MIT News
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