Collaborative Proposal -- ITR/SY Molecular Computational with Automated Microfluidic Sensors (MCAMS)

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EIA-0121368Alivisatos, PaulUniversity of California-BerkeleyCollaborative Prosposal-ITR/SY: Molecular Computational with Automated Microfluide Sensors\(MCAMS\) The main objective of this cross-disciplinary project between Princeton University, Stanford University and UC Berkeley is to combine microfluidic technology with recently-developed algorithms of RNA-based computing to create a compact, automated nucelotide-based computational device capable of rapid detection of the computational output. Realization of such a device would greatly impact not only the field of molecular computing but also the general field of molecular biology, as the proposed platform technologies would provide novel, advanced tools for biological research.The project is addressing three main questions: - Can a microfluidic device be used to automate RNA-based computation? - Can alternative detection methods be used to avoid labor-intensive readout steps in RNA-based computation? -Can these detection methods be applied to other problems encountered in general biological v research? The success of this project will represent a leap forward in the direction of "hands-free" molecular computation. In addition, it will provide the necessary platform technologies to accelerate biological research, particularly in the areas of rapid DNA sequencing and fingerprinting.