OLYMPUS TECHNOZONE Vol.54 2002-08
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INDEX
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DNA computers - general-purpose systems with the potential
to excel where electronic computers fail
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Analysis
of Gene Expression by a DNA Computer
The
target gene is replaced with an artificially designed DNA molecule
(internal code: DCN). This ensures fast and accurate reactions.
(Click on image to expand it) |
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In media interviews, I am sometimes asked if
the system is really a DNA computer or just a biochemical reaction
system.
The system carries out calculations using reactions
in DNA molecules, so it is indeed a reaction system. The real questions
are what kind of reactions are involved, how they are implemented,
and what they are all about. Basically, we choose specific reactions
and use a program to control the order in which to trigger them.
By modifying the program, we can carry out not just a single computation
process, but many different kinds. This general-purpose quality
is the key criterion for determining whether or not a system can
be described as a computer.
We want to produce data that will help demonstrate
the general-purpose nature of this system as quickly as possible.
People have asked me if the DNA computer can
only be used to analyze DNA. They want to know what specific, meaningful
problems can be solved using the DNA computer. I have also been
asked about the future of the DNA computer. Will the system's hardware
always be as big as it is now? If the size can be reduced, what
will the system be used for?
DNA computers are unlikely to be able to solve
practical problems better than electronic computers. If we can
design molecules that are more suitable for molecular computing
than DNA molecule, we may be able to execute calculations faster
and more quickly. However, this is not a simple thing that we are
likely to achieve over a five- or ten-year time span, if someday
people want to see a DNA computer that can perform the same tasks
as an electronic computer more efficiently. Even electronic computers
cannot do everything, and in some senses their capabilities are
limited. I think that DNA computers should be used for tasks that
are fundamentally unsuitable for electronic computers, especially
tasks that we human beings hope to be able to perform more effectively.
Electronic computers use electronic circuits to perform calculations. Because
the DNA computer uses molecular reactions, it is best suited for problems that
require direct processing of molecules. The problems that will be of vital importance
to us in the future relate to biotechnology and nanotechnology (*5). The ability
to process molecules directly will be extremely useful in solving these problems.
I have approached DNA computing from a biotechnology perspective. |
