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Molecular BioSystems

Research at the interface between chemistry and the -omic sciences and systems biology.



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Review

Mol. BioSyst., 2009, 5, 675 - 685, DOI: 10.1039/b902484k

Biocomputers: from test tubes to live cells

Yaakov Benenson

Biocomputers are man-made biological networks whose goal is to probe and control biological hosts—cells and organisms—in which they operate. Their key design features, informed by computer science and engineering, are programmability, modularity and versatility. While still a work in progress, biocomputers will eventually enable disease diagnosis and treatment with single-cell precision, lead to "designer" cell functions for biotechnology, and bring about a new generation of biological measurement tools. This review describes the intellectual foundation of the "biocomputer" concept as well as surveys the state of the art in the field.

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