A programming language for living cells
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Using this language, anyone can write a program for the function they want, such as detecting and responding to certain environmental conditions. It is literally a programming language for bacteria, says Christopher Voigt, an MIT professor of biological engineering. Users of the new programming language, however, need no special knowledge of genetic engineering. To create a version of the language that would work for cells, the researchers designed computing elements such as logic gates and sensors that can be encoded in a bacterial cell’s DNA. Now you just hit the button and immediately get a DNA sequence to test, Voigt says.