Cellular Gate Technology

Thomas F. Knight, Jr.
Gerald Jay Sussman

MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory

Date: July 1997

A Scientist discovers that which exists. An Engineer creates that which never was. - Theodore von Karman

Abstract:

We propose a biochemically plausible mechanism for constructing digital logic signals and gates of significant complexity within living cells. These mechanisms rely largely on co-opting existing biochemical machinery and binding proteins found naturally within the cell, replacing difficult protein engineering problems with more straightforward engineering of novel combinations of gene control sequences and gene coding regions.

The resulting logic technology, although slow, allows us to engineer the chemical behavior of cells for use as sensors and effectors. One promising use of such technology is the control of fabrication processes at the molecular scale.