Collaborative Research: Programmable Microfluidics: A Universal Substrate for Biological Computing

Saman P.AmarasingheMIT合作研究：可编程微流体：生物计算的通用衬底随着基本技术限制开始限制传统基于硅的计算机的发展，生物学为使用生命的分子机器来执行计算来建造下一代计算机提供了令人兴奋的可能性。虽然科学家们已经证明了DNA和细胞过程可以被用来进行计算，但到目前为止，所有的实验都是在实验室工作台上手工完成的。为了让生物计算成为主流，需要有一个能够自动执行生物协议的独立设备，并为计算机程序员和最终用户提供传统的接口。在这项研究中，来自麻省理工学院和哈佛大学的一个跨学科团队将合作生产第一个能够支持生物计算的可编程芯片。该芯片将依赖于微流体：一种在生物方案的各个阶段操纵皮升-数量的液体的技术。除了推进自动化流体输送和操纵方面的最先进技术外，这一“芯片实验室”系统还将包括一种新的编程语言和软件系统，使日常程序员能够轻松地使用该设备。作为示范，微流控芯片将应用于哺乳动物细胞对复杂输入信号的反应的新研究。除了生物计算，独立的芯片实验室系统可以有许多突破性的应用，如多用途家庭诊断机和使用自动化协议的快速药物发现。这项研究的主要研究员是Saman Amarasinghe教授(麻省理工学院电气工程和计算机科学系)、Todd Thorsen教授(麻省理工学院机械工程系)和Jeremy Gunawdena教授(哈佛大学系统生物系)。

ABSTRACT0541319Saman P. AmarasingheMITCollaborative Research: Programmable Microfluidics: A Universal Substrate for Biological ComputingAs fundamental technological limits are beginning to limit the progress of traditional silicon-based computers, biology offers exciting possibilities for building the next generation of computers using the molecular machinery of life to perform computations. While scientists have demonstrated that DNA and cellular processes can be leveraged to perform computations, all experiments to date have been done by hand at a laboratory bench. For biological computing to come into the mainstream, there needs to be a standalone device that can automatically execute the biological protocols and provide a traditional interface to computer programmers and end users.In this research, an inter-disciplinary team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University will collaborate to produce the first programmable chip that can support biological computing. The chip will rely on microfluidics: a technology for manipulating picoliter-quantities of fluids throughout the stages of a biological protocol. In addition to advancing the state-of-the-art in automated fluid transport and manipulation, this "lab-on-a-chip" system will include a new programming language and software system to allow everyday programmers to easily utilize the device. As a demonstration, the microfluidic chip will be applied in a novel study on the response of mammalian cells to complex input signals.Beyond biological computing, a self-contained lab-on-a-chip system can have many ground-breaking applications such as multi-purpose home diagnostic machines and fast drug discovery using automated protocols. The Primary Investigators in this research are Prof. Saman Amarasinghe (MIT Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science), Prof. Todd Thorsen (MIT Department of Mechanical Engineering), and Prof. Jeremy Gunawardena (Department of Systems Biology, Harvard University).