Award Abstract #0093486
PECASE: Foundations of Autonomous Biomolecular Computation

NSF Org:	CNS Division of Computer and Network Systems
Initial Amendment Date:	April 17, 2001
Latest Amendment Date:	June 23, 2005
Award Number:	0093486
Award Instrument:	Continuing grant
Program Manager:	Stephen Mahaney CNS Division of Computer and Network Systems CSE Directorate for Computer & Information Science & Engineering
Start Date:	April 15, 2001
Expires:	March 31, 2006 (Estimated)
Awarded Amount to Date:	$511998
Investigator(s):	Erik Winfree winfree@caltech.edu (Principal Investigator)
Sponsor:	California Institute of Technology 1200 E California Blvd PASADENA, CA 91125 626/395-6219
NSF Program(s):	COMPUTING RES INFRASTRUCTURE, EXPERIMENTAL SYSTEMS/CADRE
Field Application(s):	0000099 Other Applications NEC, 0000912 Computer Science
Program Reference Code(s):	HPCC, 9218, 4725, 1187
Program Element Code(s):	7359, 4725

ABSTRACT

EIA-0093486

Winfree, Erik

California Institute of Technology

PECASE: Foundations of Autonomous Biomolecular Computation

The project is developing autonomous, programmable biochemical systems that operate in a microscopic drop of liquid to achieve chemical tasks, such as nanostructure fabrication. Theoretical models of autonomous biomolecular computation to implement these models experimentally using DNA molecules, and to quantitatively characterize individual molecular logic components and the larger systems built from them are being performed. Beyond the specific context of DNA, this research is creating a prototype of autonomous biomolecular computing systems and explore fundamental robustness issues in nanoscale computing, such as cross-talk between species and stochastic events due to thermal noise and diffusion. The project is aiming to leverage their advanced control over biochemical systems to begin establishing a broader foundation for reliable molecular computing.

Two new courses are being developed introducing students to the necessary concepts and tools required to begin work in biomolecular computation. This research is establishing an experimental system for exploring computation by biological molecules, and is providing fundamental knowledge and principles for nanoscale computation, such as models of computation, molecular algorithms, physical limits, errors and error correction. Although biomolecular systems are massively parallel, asynchronous, stochastic, and hard to design, the PI is researching on new programming principles, leading to a science of molecular computation.

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