OLYMPUS TECHNOZONE Vol.54 2002-08
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INDEX
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Design technology from nature: deciphering base arrays in biomolecular DNA
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Computation
in a DNA Computer
DNA
molecules are used as input and output data. This approach allows
calculations to be carried out in a single test tube on a far larger
scale than would be possible with massively parallel processing systems
based on magnetic particles.
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Normally we call a press conference when a
product is ready for launching onto the market. However, this time
we chose to make a press announcement for a product that was still
at the R&D stage. The news attracted more interest than we
had expected, and we received numerous requests for interviews
from the media. The phrase "DNA computer" appears to
have had a dramatic impact.
Indeed. The choice of a name is important.
A DNA computer is a kind of molecular computer. The concept of
using molecular reactions in computation has existed since the
1980s. DNA was chosen for this purpose because computing based
on molecular reactions depends on our ability to design molecules
that people can use as computational devices freely. The only suitable
molecule that is readily available and chemically stable is DNA.
The DNA molecule is a chain polymer, the units of which are nucleotides
made up of one of four bases: adenine (A), thymine (T), guanine
(G) or cytosine (C). By designing arrays of these four bases for
specific purposes, it is possible to initiate precise molecular
reactions that can be used for computation. It is the hybridization
reaction (*4) of DNA that is actually used in computation. This
is the reaction whereby bonds between complementary base pairs
(A and T, G and C) form the double-helix shape of the DNA molecule.
To ensure that this reaction proceeds properly and accurately,
we design and synthesize DNA molecules with special arrays of A,
T, G, and C and trigger reactions under optimal conditions. This
artificial manipulation is possible thanks to the characteristics
of DNA molecules.
There is another reason to use DNA, namely that DNA is a treasure that nature
has given to us through the process of evolution. As life forms, we are all molecular
computers. Our programs are executed and data stored on the molecular level.
Molecular reactions drive computation processes and implement life processes.
Since those reactions occur simultaneously and in parallel, every living creature
can be compared to a massively parallel computer. The only molecule used by living
organisms to execute programs and store data is DNA, not RNA or proteins. No
other molecules can perform these functions.
When we design organic molecules artificially, I believe that we should respect
the outcomes of evolution. I also believe that the development of computers based
on the DNA molecule is a natural and appropriate approach. |
