RUI: MPS-BIO: Collaborative Research: Design and Construction of Second-Generation Bacterial Computers

通过合成生物学的方法，细菌可以被改造成生物计算机。它们可以用DNA序列编程，与其他细胞和环境自然互动，从食物来源中获取能量，并对定向进化做出反应。生物计算尚未普及，该项目将开发能够解决图论、概率论、计算理论和人工智能等数学问题的第二代细菌计算机。该项目将确定可扩展和可推广的问题，开发一个对数学问题的细菌计算复杂性进行分类的系统，并构建数学模型和计算机模拟以评估新的细菌计算机编程语言的设计可行性。经过验证和新颖的细菌计算机制将用于编程细菌计算机来解决选定的数学问题。更广泛的影响。该项目将在数学、合成生物学和计算机科学的交叉领域为本科生（包括科学界代表性不足的群体成员）提供多学科教育和研究培训。学生将提出研究问题，发展可测试的假设，收集和分析数据，并通过出版物和科学会议交流结果。该项目由网络与规则和数学生物学项目联合支持。

Bacteria can be modified, through synthetic biology approaches, to function as biological computers. They can be programmed with DNA sequences, interact naturally with other cells and the environment, power themselves from food sources, and respond to directed evolution. Biological computing is not yet widespread, and this project will develop second-generation bacterial computers capable of addressing mathematical problems in graph theory, probability, theory of computation, and artificial intelligence. The project will identify problems that are scalable and generalizable, develop a system of classifying the bacterial computational complexity of mathematical problems, and construct mathematical models and computer simulations to assess the design feasibility of new bacterial computer programming languages. Proven and novel bacterial computing mechanisms will be used to program bacterial computers to solve the selected mathematical problems. Broader Impacts. This project will provide multidisciplinary education and research training for undergraduate students (including members of groups under-represented in science) at the interface of mathematics, synthetic biology and computer science. Students will pose research questions, develop testable hypotheses, collect and analyze data, and communicate results through publications and at scientific meetings. This project is supported jointly by the Networks and Regulation and Mathematical Biology Programs.