'Living computers' could become reality as scientists build tiny components out of bacteria cells



Scientists are one step closer to making a biological computer after building basic components for digital devices out of bacteria and DNA.

Some scientists believe that, in the future, small biological computers could roam our bodies monitoring our health and correcting any problems they find.

Researchers from Imperial College London have demonstrated they can build the 'logic gates' which are the building blocks of today's microprocessors out of harmless bugs and chemicals.

Scientists are one step closer to making a biological computer after building basic components for digital devices out of bacteria and DNA (file picture)

The biological logic gates described in Nature Communications are the most advanced 'biological circuitry' ever created by scientists.



Professor Richard Kitney said: 'Logic gates are the fundamental building blocks in silicon circuitry that our entire digital age is based on. Without them, we could not process digital information.

'Now that we have demonstrated we can replicate these parts using bacteria and DNA, we hope that our work could lead to a new generation of biological processors, whose applications in information processing could be as important as their electronic equivalents.'

Although still a long way off, the team suggests these biological logic gates could one day form the building blocks in microscopic biological computers.

Future: Some scientists believe that small biological computers could roam our bodies monitoring our health and could even detect and destroy cancer cells

Devices may include sensors that swim inside arteries, detecting the build up of harmful plaque and rapidly delivering medications to the affected area.

Other applications may include sensors that detect and destroy cancer cells inside the body and pollution monitors that can be deployed in the environment, detecting and neutralising dangerous toxins such as arsenic.

Previous research only proved biological logic gates could be made. The advantage of the biological logic gates over previous attempts is that they behave more like their electronic counterparts.

The new biological gates are also modular, which means that they can be fitted together to make different types of logic gates, paving the way for more complex biological processors to be built in the future.



In one experiment the researchers showed how biological logic gates can replicate the way their electronic counterparts process information by either switching 'on' or 'off'.



The scientists constructed a type of logic gate called an 'AND Gate' from bacteria E.Coli, which is normally found in the lower intestine.

The team altered the E.Coli with modified DNA, which reprogrammed it to perform the same switching on and off process as its electronic equivalent when stimulated by chemicals.



The researchers were also able to demonstrate that the biological logic gates could be connected together to form more complex components in a similar way that electronic components are made.

In another experiment, the researchers created a 'NOT gate' and combined it with the AND gate to produce the more complex 'NAND gate'.



The next stage of the research will see the team trying to develop more complex circuitry that comprises multiple logic gates.