DNA breakthrough could enable molecular computing
An international group of scientists claims it has made the most significant breakthrough in a decade towards the development of electrical circuits based on DNA.
The work, published in Nature Nanotechnology, is believed to be a useful contribution to the development of technology that might enable the electronics industry to move beyond silicon.
The only known molecules which could self assemble into complex miniature circuits are DNA molecules, but no researcher has been able to demonstrate reliably and quantitatively the flow of electrical current through long DNA molecules.
But the group led by Professor Danny Porath, pictured, of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem is claiming just that, reporting 'reproducible and quantitative measurements of electricity flow through long molecules made of four DNA strands'.
According to Prof Porath: "This research paves the way for implementing DNA-based programmable circuits for molecular electronics; a new generation of computer circuits that can be more sophisticated, cheaper and simpler to make."
