Computing with biological switches and clocks

Neil Dalchau; Gregory Szép; Rosa Hernansaiz-Ballesteros; Chris P. Barnes; Luca Cardelli; Andrew Phillips; Attila Csikász-Nagy

doi:10.1007/s11047-018-9686-x

Computing with biological switches and clocks

Neil Dalchau, Gregory Szép, Rosa Hernansaiz-Ballesteros, Chris P. Barnes, Luca Cardelli, Andrew Phillips, Attila Csikász-Nagy^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

36 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The complex dynamics of biological systems is primarily driven by molecular interactions that underpin the regulatory networks of cells. These networks typically contain positive and negative feedback loops, which are responsible for switch-like and oscillatory dynamics, respectively. Many computing systems rely on switches and clocks as computational modules. While the combination of such modules in biological systems leads to a variety of dynamical behaviours, it is also driving development of new computing algorithms. Here we present a historical perspective on computation by biological systems, with a focus on switches and clocks, and discuss parallels between biology and computing. We also outline our vision for the future of biological computing.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	761-779
Number of pages	19
Journal	Natural Computing
Volume	17
Issue number	4
Early online date	1 Jun 2018
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s11047-018-9686-x
Publication status	Published - 1 Dec 2018

Keywords

Bistability
Distributed computing
DNA computing
Feedback loop
Network
Oscillation
Synthetic biology
Systems biology

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AU - Csikász-Nagy, Attila

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Computing with biological switches and clocks

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Keywords

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