Theoretical aspects of biocomputing

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In the same way we use letters of the alphabet to write text, and bits 0 and 1 to write computer machine code, the four basic DNA units(adenine,guanine,cytosine,thymine) are used by Nature to write genetic information as DNA strands. The possibility of encoding symbolic information on DNA, and the fact that biochemical processes such as cut-and-paste of DNA strands can be used to perform arithmetic and logic operations,led to the development of the field of DNA computing. The primary goal of my research is to analyze this new way of storing and manipulating data on DNA strands. Indeed, bioinformation and biocomputation are different from their electronic counterparts in several aspects. First, biodata is not associated to a memory location but consists of infinitesimal DNA strands free-floating in solution. Second, in contrast to the electronic computer, data-encoding DNA strands can interact with each other in un-programmed ways. Third, each data encoding DNA strand is usually present in millions of identical copies and the bio-operations operate according to statistical laws.