Stanford Researchers Create First Biological Transistor, Make Bio-Computing Possible

Researchers from Stanford University have created the first-ever biological transistor or "transcriptors" from genetic material. The discovery could make computing possible within a living cell.

The biological transistor controls the flow of proteins, RNA polymerase, along a strand of DNA, much like the electronic transistor that controls the flow of electrons through a circuit.

"Transcriptors are the key component behind amplifying genetic logic - akin to the transistor and electronics," said Jerome Bonnet, PhD, a postdoctoral scholar in bioengineering and the paper's lead author, in a statement.

Researchers have created a kind of logic-gates with the biological transistor that can be used to get true-false answer from any biochemical question within the cell. They call their transcription-based logic gates as "Boolean Integrase Logic" or "BIL gates".

To build the biological transistor, researchers tested various combinations of enzymes that could control the flow of RNA polymerases along DNA strands. The biological transistor too can achieve signal amplification just like the semiconductor ones that are in use today.

The biological computers will allow researchers to collect data from the cell and even turn-off the cell's reproduction.

"Biological computers can be used to study and reprogram living systems, monitor environments and improve cellular therapeutics," said Drew Endy, PhD, assistant professor of bioengineering and the paper's senior author.

Endy and team made headlines last year after they discovered a way to store and retrieve information from DNA strands and also a way to transmit information from one cell to another.

The researchers have authorized the use of their biological logic gates to the public to encourage contribution in the field of biological computing from other researchers.  

The study is published in the journal Science.