Electronic computers have dramatically increased the efficiency of information processing and enabled automation of industrial processes. Such computers, however, have limitations when applied to address biomedical tasks including medical diagnostics and therapy. To recognize and process biological inputs, such as DNA, proteins, and small biomolecules, electronic computers require chemical-sensor intermediates that convert a chemical input into an electronic output. Computers are hard to insert into a human body as they are made of non-biocompatible and non-biodegradable materials. Biomedical applications of computational technologies would get another dimension if computers are made from a biocompatible material. Such computers could operate in a point-of-care diagnostic test by recognizing and autonomously analyzing complex combinations of biochemical disease markers, which would facilitate medical diagnostics, making them more accurate and affordable. In addition, such computers would help building molecular robots -- nanometer-scale devices that can sense biological markers inside human body to diagnose a disorder and promptly address it, which would help doctors fight such devastating diseases as cancer and viral infections, among others.
DNA has attracted growing attention as a material for constructing molecular computational devices. Its parallel data-processing capabilities and predictability of Watson-Crick base pairing poses a fascinating opportunity for building computer and molecular robots from DNA. Moreover, biocompatibility of such devices, as well as previously developed approaches for gene therapy, would enable their applications in diagnostics and treatment of cancer, infectious and genetic diseases. The long-term goal of this project is to construct a molecular-scale processor based on DNA logic gates and apply it to address biomedical challenges. In this project, PI proposes to address the following technological challenges in a quest to the develop a first DNA computer: (i) create multilayered integrated circuits (DNA nanochips); and (ii) stabilize DNA nanochips by covalent cross-link. In addition, the PI will develop DNA nanochips to solve a practically significant biomedical problem: recognition of cancer markers, which is expected to stimulate interest in DNA computation. The proposed developments will be showcased by creating a user-friendly construction kit for building integrated DNA circuits, which can be used in educational and outreach projects. The practical utility of the kits will be tested in laboratory settings in collaboration with high-school students from a local Orlando high school.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
