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Scaling up genetic circuit design for cellular computing: advances and prospects

Scaling up genetic circuit design for cellular computing: advances and prospects

Authors :
Xiang, Yiyu
Dalchau, Neil
Wang, Baojun
Source :
Xiang, Y, Dalchau, N & Wang, B 2018, ' Scaling up genetic circuit design for cellular computing : advances and prospects ', Natural Computing, vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 833-853 . https://doi.org/10.1007/s11047-018-9715-9, Natural Computing
Publication Year :
2018
Publisher :
Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2018.

Abstract

Synthetic biology aims to engineer and redesign biological systems for useful real-world applications in biomanufacturing, biosensing and biotherapy following a typical design-build-test cycle. Inspired from computer science and electronics, synthetic gene circuits have been designed to exhibit control over the flow of information in biological systems. Two types are Boolean logic inspired TRUE or FALSE digital logic and graded analog computation. Key principles for gene circuit engineering include modularity, orthogonality, predictability and reliability. Initial circuits in the field were small and hampered by a lack of modular and orthogonal components, however in recent years the library of available parts has increased vastly. New tools for high throughput DNA assembly and characterization have been developed enabling rapid prototyping, systematic in situ characterization, as well as automated design and assembly of circuits. Recently implemented computing paradigms in circuit memory and distributed computing using cell consortia will also be discussed. Finally, we will examine existing challenges in building predictable large-scale circuits including modularity, context dependency and metabolic burden as well as tools and methods used to resolve them. These new trends and techniques have the potential to accelerate design of larger gene circuits and result in an increase in our basic understanding of circuit and host behaviour.

Details

ISSN :
15729796 and 15677818
Volume :
17
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Natural Computing
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....e6d862de3f852bf01cfb08c3537aa107
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11047-018-9715-9