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Enzyme Computer Could Live Inside You

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the sign-me-up-when-i-can-have-a-nanobot-swarm dept.

dylanduck writes "New Scientist reports the creation of an enzyme-based computer that performs AND and XOR calculations, and combinations of the two, based on the presence or absence of specific chemicals. If they can be engineered inside living cells, they could measure a patient's metabolism and deliver just the right amount of drug at just the right spot, the researchers reckon. I'm worried about the viruses." Ba-dump *chink*.

6 of 155 comments (clear)

  1. Logical sequencing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

    If the "computer" can do more than simple combinatorial logic, what controls the flow of execution?

    Random chance encounters with the right substances??

    Thanks - I'll wait until version 2.

  2. Re:Ha! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    I wouldn't be worried about the viruses... The time invested in developing a virus will be more than a few days hacking code in a computer. It will require a lab, thousands of dollars of reagents, an education, and more than likely a multidisciplinary team.

    As opposed to a geeky 14 year old who is too scared to talk to girls.

  3. I dunno by dtsazza · · Score: 2, Insightful
    OK, so they've got a computer that works on enzymes, which is pretty clever. And from TFA:
    "This is basically a computer that could be integrated with the human body," Willner told New Scientist. "We feel you could implant an enzyme computer into the body and use it to calculate an entire metabolic pathway."
    But can't you do that already with standard computers (we can make them pretty small these days, so I'm told)?

    My guess is that they instinctively think "Ooh, it's made of enzymes, instead of all that nasty enzymes and electricity, so it must be better to put in people." But then we've been putting pacemakers etc. in people for years without any problems. And if they're suggesting that these wouldn't be self-enclosed units and would actually interact with actual human enzymes that may come and go as they please... then they've got a lot of contingency planning and 'wiring' work to do...

    I don't see this having any real impact for a long while yet.
    --
    My, that was a yummy potato!
    1. Re:I dunno by drinkypoo · · Score: 2, Insightful

      And if they're suggesting that these wouldn't be self-enclosed units and would actually interact with actual human enzymes that may come and go as they please...

      Well, otherwise, what good are they? But you're quite right that this is very far off. I can imagine the technology being used to putter around with animals for years before it's a good idea to start screwing around with humans. The fact is that we just don't understand all that much about the basic functioning of some of these systems - or basically any of them - and so anything we do now would be just groping in the dark. That can be fun, but it can also be dangerous :)

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  4. Old News... by Ancil · · Score: 4, Insightful
    If they can be engineered inside living cells, they could measure a patient's metabolism and deliver just the right amount of drug at just the right spot, the researchers reckon.
    I already have one of these. It helps me to live, so I named it a "liver".
  5. Missing the point by Tannor · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I think most people criticizing this article are completely missing the point. The computer based on enzymes is not being built to compete with your desktop. It doesn't matter if its basis is unstable and slow. Bsw149 attempted to make this point but was mostly ignored.

    -Imagine your cells in a certain organ system alerting you that the concentration of a needed medicine has fallen too low.
    -Someone with Diabetes could get a read out of sugar concentrations without taking a blood sample.

    From the article it definitely seems anything useful is a long way off... But I'm guessing the people involved aren't looking for a way to get more fps out of quake.