College of Applied Science Peerumade
College of Applied Science Peerumade
SEMINAR REPORT
On
DNA COMPUTING
Submitted By
CERTIFICATE
electronics with hard ware , CAS Peerumade, during the year 2011
Date :
Place :
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Many people have contributed to the success of this. Although a single sentence
hardly suffices, I would like to thank almighty God for blessing us with His grace. I
extend my sincere and heart felt thanks to
Mr. .Jothys sir Head of the electronics for providing us the right ambience for
carrying out this work. …
………………
I am profoundly indebted to my seminar Guide Elezabath mis for innumerable
acts of timely advice encouragement and I sincerely express my gratitude to her.
I express my immense pleasure and thankfulness to all the teachers and staff of
the Department of electronics , for their cooperation and support.
Last but not the least , I thank all others, and especially my classmates who in
one way or another helped me in the successful completion of this.
ABSTRACT
enzymes that evolution has spent billions of years refining. These tools are now been
taken in large numbers of DNA molecules and using them as biological computer
processors.
Dr. Leonard Adleman, a well-known scientist, found a way to exploit the speed and
efficiency of the biological reactions to solve the “Hamiltonian path problem”, also
Based on Dr. Adleman’s experiment, we will explain DNA computing, its algorithms,
how to manage DNA based computing and the advantages and disadvantages of DNA
computing.
CONTENT
6
Introduction
History 7
DNA fundamentals 8
Synthesizing 12
Algorithm 19
Advantages 27
Disadvantages 28
Conclusion 29
Reference 30
INTRODUCTION
"Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons." So said Popular Mechanics in
1949. Most of us today, in the age of smart cards and wearable PCs would find that statement
laughable. We have made huge advances in miniaturization since the days of room-sized
computers, yet the underlying computational framework has remained the same. Today's
supercomputers still employ the kind of sequential logic used by the mechanical dinosaurs of the
1930s. Some researchers are now looking beyond these boundaries and are investigating entirely
new media and computational models. These include quantum, optical and DNA-based
computers. It is the last of these developments that this paper concentrates on.
The current Silicon technology has following limitations:
Clock frequency
Power consumption
Heat dissipation.
The problem's complexity that can be afforded by modern processors grows up, but great
challenges require computational capabilities that neither most powerful and distributed systems
could reach.
The idea that living cells and molecular complexes can be viewed as potential machinic
components dates back to the late 1950s, when Richard Feynman delivered his famous paper
describing "sub-microscopic" computers. More recently, several people have advocated the
realization of massively parallel computation using the techniques and chemistry of molecular
biology. DNA computing was grounded in reality at the end of 1994, when Leonard Adleman,
announced that he had solved a small instance of a computationally intractable problem using a
small vial of DNA. By representing information as sequences of bases in DNA molecules,
Adleman showed how to use existing DNA-manipulation techniques to implement a simple,
massively parallel random search. He solved the traveling salesman problem also known as the
“Hamiltonian path" problem.
There are two reasons for using molecular biology to solve computational problems.
(i) The information density of DNA is much greater than that of silicon : 1 bit can be stored in
approximately one cubic nanometer. Others storage media, such as videotapes, can store 1 bit in
1,000,000,000,000 cubic nanometer.
(ii) Operations on DNA are massively parallel: a test tube of DNA can contain trillions of
strands. Each operation on a test tube of DNA is carried out on all strands in the tube in parallel.
DNA Fundamentals
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is a double stranded sequence of four nucleotides; the four
nucleotides that compose a strand of DNA are as follows:
1) adenine (A),
2) guanine (G),
3) cytosine(C),
4) thymine (T);
they are often called bases. DNA supports two key functions for life:
self-replication.
a phosphate group
a nitrogenous base.
The chemical structure of DNA consists of a particular bond of two linear sequences of bases.
This bond follows a property of Complementarily: adenine bonds with thymine (A-T) and vice
versa (T-A), cytosine bonds with guanine (C-G) and vice versa (G-C). This is known as
Watson-Crick complementarily.
The four nucleotides adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), and thymine (T) compose a strand
of DNA. Each DNA strand has two different ends that determine its polarity: the 3’end, and the
5’end. The double helix is an anti-parallel (two strands of opposite polarity) bonding of two
complementary strands.
DNA is the major information storage molecule in living cells, and billions of years of evolution
have tested and refined both this wonderful informational molecule and highly specific enzymes
that can either duplicate the information in DNA molecules or transmit this information to other
DNA molecules. Instead of using electrical impulses to represent bits of information, the DNA
computer uses the chemical properties of these molecules by examining the patterns of
combination or growth of the molecules or strings. DNA can do this through the manufacture of
enzymes, which are biological catalysts that could be called the ’software’, used to execute the
desired calculation.
Synthesizing
Mixing :
combine the contents of two test tubes into a third one to achieve union. a
desired polynomial-length strand used in all models.
Annealing:
bond together two single-stranded complementary DNA sequences by cooling the solution.
Annealing in vitro is known as hybridization
Melting:
Amplifying (copying):
ake copies of DNA strands by using the Polymerase Chain Reaction PCRm. The DNA
polymerase enzymes perform several functions including replication of DNA. The
replication reaction requires a guiding DNA single-strand called template, and a shorter
oligonucleotide called a primer, that is annealed to it.
Separating:-
the strands by length using a technique called gel electrophoresis that makes possible the
separation of strands by length.
Extracting
those strands that contain a given pattern as a substring by using affinity purification.
Cutting
Ligating:
paste DNA strands with compatible sticky ends by using DNA ligases. Indeed, another
enzyme called DNA ligase, will bond together, or ``ligate'', the end of a DNA strand to
another strand.
Substituting:
Marking
single strands by hybridization: complementary sequences are attached to the strands,
making them double-stranded. The reverse operation is unmarking of the double-strands
by denaturing, that is, by detaching the complementary strands. The marked sequences
will be double-stranded while the unmarked ones will be single-stranded.
Destroying
the marked strands by using exonucleases, or by cutting all the marked strands with a
restriction enzyme and removing all the intact strands by gel electrophoresis. (By using
enzymes called exonucleases, either double-stranded or single-stranded DNA molecules
may be selectively destroyed. The exonucleases chew up DNA molecules from the end
inward, and exist with specificity to either single-stranded or double-stranded form.)
In Short, DNA computers work by encoding the problem to be solved in the language of DNA:
the base-four values A, T, C and G. Using this base four number system, the solution to any
conceivable problem can be encoded along a DNA strand like in a Turing machine tape. Every
possible sequence can be chemically created in a test tube on trillions of different DNA strands,
and the correct sequences can be filtered out using genetic engineering tools.
Algorithm
Turing machine:
The goal of the computer, which works with DNA, is to develop an all-purpose
computer like the Turing machine. As a matter of fact this is rather difficult. Every command
should be possible in every state of the machine and it should be readable (extractable) at every
point of time. Great efforts in research are necessary to implement this.
Recent experiments on DNA computing have shown that it is more efficient to use the
power of DNA computing in specific algorithms where the mapping in DNA is easy and the
parallel computing power of DNA’s are useable. Specifically, problems which are hard to solve
with Turing machines may work better (in terms of speed and efficiency) with DNA
computing. These problems referred to, as NP-complete problems are not solvable in
polynomial time with Turing machines. This means that the number of steps to solve the
problems increase exponentially with the number of the input data.
NP-complete problems are common in the real world. Examples are the Hamiltonian path or
the Shortest-Path in a graph.
Simplified graph
Adleman´s Algorithm
Input: A directed graph G with n vertices, and designated vertices vin and vout.
Step 1:
Generate paths in G randomly in large quantities.
Step 2:
Reject all paths that
do not begin with vin and
do not end in vout.
Step 3:
Reject all paths that do not involve exactly n vertices.
Step 4:
For each of the n vertices v:
reject all paths that do not involve v.
Output:
YES, if any path remains; NO, otherwise.
To implement step 1,
each node of the graph was encoded as a random 20-base strand of DNA. Then, for each edge
of the graph, a different 20-base oligonucleotide was generated that contains the second half of
the source code plus the first half of the target node.
Step 4,
was accomplished by successive use of affinity purification for each node other than the start
and end nodes.
The solution strand has to be filtered from the test tube:
GCAG TCGG ACTG GGCT ATGT CCGA
Atlanta → Boston → Chicago → Detroit
Thus we see in a graph with n vertices, there are a possible (n-1)! permutations of the
vertices between beginning and ending vertex.
To explore each permutation, a traditional computer must perform O(n!) operations to explore
all possible cycles. However, the DNA computing model only requires the representative oligos.
Once placed in solution, those oligos will anneal in parallel, providing all possible paths in the
graph at roughly the same time. That is equivalent to O(1) operations, or constant time. In
addition, no more space than what was originally provided is needed to contain the constructed
paths.
DNA computers can't be found at your local electronics store yet. The technology is still in
development, and didn't even exist as a concept a decade ago. In 1994, Leonard Adleman
introduced the idea of using DNA to solve complex mathematical problems. Adleman, a
computer scientist at the University of Southern California, came to the conclusion that DNA
had computational potential after reading the book "Molecular Biology of the Gene," written by
James Watson, who co-discovered the structure of DNA in 1953. In fact, DNA is very similar to
a computer hard drive in how it stores permanent information about your genes.
Adleman is often called the inventor of DNA computers. His article in a 1994 issue of the
journal Science outlined how to use DNA to solve a well-known mathematical problem, called
the directed Hamilton Path problem, also known as the "traveling salesman" problem. The goal
of the problem is to find the shortest route between a number of cities, going through each city
only once. As you add more cities to the problem, the problem becomes more difficult. Adleman
chose to find the shortest route between seven cities.
You could probably draw this problem out on paper and come to a solution faster than Adleman
did using his DNA test-tube computer. Here are the steps taken in the Adleman DNA computer
experiment:
1. Strands of DNA represent the seven cities. In genes, genetic coding is represented by the
letters A, T, C and G. Some sequence of these four letters represented each city and
possible flight path.
2. These molecules are then mixed in a test tube, with some of these DNA strands sticking
together. A chain of these strands represents a possible answer.
3. Within a few seconds, all of the possible combinations of DNA strands, which represent
answers, are created in the test tube.
4. Adleman eliminates the wrong molecules through chemical reactions, which leaves
behind only the flight paths that connect all seven cities.
The success of the Adleman DNA computer proves that DNA can be used to calculate complex
mathematical problems. However, this early DNA computer is far from challenging silicon-
based computers in terms of speed. The Adleman DNA computer created a group of possible
answers very quickly, but it took days for Adleman to narrow down the possibilities. Another
drawback of his DNA computer is that it requires human assistance. The goal of the DNA
computing field is to create a device that can work independent of human involvement.
Three years after Adleman's experiment, researchers at the University of Rochester developed
logic gates made of DNA. Logic gates are a vital part of how your computer carries out
functions that you command it to do. These gates convert binary code moving through the
computer into a series of signals that the computer uses to perform operations. Currently, logic
gates interpret input signals from silicon transistors, and convert those signals into an output
signal that allows the computer to perform complex functions.
The Rochester team's DNA logic gates are the first step toward creating a computer that has a
structure similar to
that of an electronic PC. Instead of using electrical signals to perform logical operations, these
DNA logic gates rely on DNA code. They detect fragments of genetic material as input, splice
together these fragments and form a single output. For instance, a genetic gate called the "And
gate" links two DNA inputs by chemically binding them so they're locked in an end-to-end
structure, similar to the way two Legos might be fastened by a third Lego between them. The
researchers believe that these logic gates might be combined with DNA microchips to create a
breakthrough in DNA computing.
DNA computer components -- logic gates and biochips -- will take years to develop into a
practical, workable DNA computer. If such a computer is ever built, scientists say that it will be
more compact, accurate and efficient than conventional computers. In the next section, we'll
look at how DNA computers could surpass their silicon-based predecessors, and what tasks
these computers would perform.
Even as you read this article, computer chip manufacturers are furiously racing to make the next
microprocessor that will topple speed records. Sooner or later, though, this competition is bound
to hit a wall. Microprocessors made of silicon will eventually reach their limits of speed and
miniaturization. Chip makers need a new material to produce faster computing speeds.
You won't believe where scientists have found the new material they need to build the next
generation of microprocessors. Millions of natural supercomputers exist inside living organisms,
including your body. DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) molecules, the material our genes are made
of, have the potential to perform calculations many times faster than the world's most powerful
human-built computers. DNA might one day be integrated into a computer chip to create a so-
called biochip that will push computers even faster. DNA molecules have already been
harnessed to perform complex mathematical problems.
While still in their infancy, DNA computers will be capable of storing billions of times more
data than your personal computer. In this article, you'll learn how scientists are using genetic
material to create nano-computers that might take the place of silicon-based computers in the
next decade
Silicon microprocessors have been the heart of the computing world for more than 40 years. In
that time, manufacturers have crammed more and more electronic devices onto their
microprocessors. In accordance with Moore's Law, the number of electronic devices put on a
microprocessor has doubled every 18 months. Moore's Law is named after Intel founder Gordon
Moore, who predicted in 1965 that microprocessors would double in complexity every two
years. Many have predicted that Moore's Law will soon reach its end, because of the physical
speed and miniaturization limitations of silicon microprocessors.
DNA computers have the potential to take computing to new levels, picking up where Moore's
Law leaves off. There are several advantages to using DNA instead of silicon:
• As long as there are cellular organisms, there will always be a supply of DNA.
• The large supply of DNA makes it a cheap resource.
• Unlike the toxic materials used to make traditional microprocessors, DNA biochips can be
made cleanly.
• DNA computers are many times smaller than today's computers.
DNA's key advantage is that it will make computers smaller than any computer that has come
before them, while at the same time holding more data. One pound of DNA has the capacity to
store more information than all the electronic computers ever built; and the computing power of
a teardrop-sized DNA computer, using the DNA logic gates, will be more powerful than the
world's most powerful supercomputer. More than 10 trillion DNA molecules can fit into an area
no larger than 1 cubic centimeter (0.06 cubic inches). With this small amount of DNA, a
computer would be able to hold 10 terabytes of data, and perform 10 trillion calculations at a
time. By adding more DNA, more calculations could be performed.
A year ago, researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, unveiled
a programmable molecular computing machine composed of enzymes and DNA molecules
instead of silicon microchips. "This re-designed device uses its DNA input as its source of
fuel," said Ehud Shapiro, who led the Israeli research team. This computer can perform 330
trillion operations per second, more than 100,000 times the speed of the fastest PC.
While a desktop PC is designed to perform one calculation very fast, DNA strands produce
billions of potential answers simultaneously. This makes the DNA computer suitable for
solving "fuzzy logic" problems that have many possible solutions rather than the either/or
logic of binary computers. In the future, some speculate, there may be hybrid machines that
use traditional silicon for normal processing tasks but have DNA co-processors that can take
over specific tasks they would be more suitable for.
ADVANTAGES
block, thus effectively doubling our capacity to The clear advantage is that we have a
distinct memory block that encodes bits.
DNA computers show promise because they do not have the limitations of silicon-based
chips. For one, DNA based chip manufacturers will always have an ample supply of raw
materials as DNA exists in all living things; this means generally lower overhead costs.
Secondly, the DNA chip manufacture does not produce toxic by-products. Last but not the least,
DNA computers will be much smaller than silicon-based computers as one pound of DNA chips
can hold all the information stored in all the computers in the world.
With the use of DNA logic gates, a DNA computer the size of a teardrop will be more
powerful than today's most powerful supercomputer. A DNA chip less than the size of
a dime will have the capacity to perform 10 trillion parallel calculations at one time as
well as hold ten terabytes of data. The capacity to perform parallel calculations, much
more trillions of parallel calculations, is something silicon-based computers are not
able to do. As such, a complex mathematical problem that could take silicon-based
computers thousands of years to solve can be done by DNA computers in hours. For
this reason, the first use of DNA computers will most probably be cracking of codes,
route planning and complex simulations for the government.
DISADVANTAGES
Generating solution sets, even for some relatively simple problems, may
require impractically large amounts of memory (lots and lots of DNA strands
are required)
Many empirical uncertainties, including those involving: actual error rates, the
generation of optimal encoding techniques, and the ability to perform necessary
bio-operations conveniently in vitro (for every correct answer there are millions
of incorrect paths generated that are worthless).
DNA computers could not (at this point) replace traditional computers. They are
not programmable and the average dunce can not sit down at a familiar keyboard
and get to work.
CONCLUSION
DNA computers will work through the use of DNA-based logic gates. These logic gates are very
much similar to what is used in our computers today with the only difference being the
composition of the input and output signals. In the current technology of logic gates, binary
codes from the silicon transistors are converted into instructions that can be carried out by the
computer. DNA computers, on the other hand, use DNA codes in place of electrical signals as
inputs to the DNA logic gates. DNA computers are, however, still in its infancy and though it
may be very fast in providing possible answers, narrowing these answers down still takes days.
References