The humblest amoeba performs feats of molecular manipulation that are the envy of any human engineer. Assembling complex biological structures quickly and with atomic precision, the amoeba is living proof of the power of nanotechnology to transmute inert matter into wondrous forms. Amoebas—and the cells in your body, for that matter—are expert at these skills because they have had billions of years to perfect their molecular tool kit. Erik Winfree, a professor of computer science and bioengineering at Caltech, is determined to harness all that evolution-honed machinery. He is seeking ways to exploit the methods of cellular biology to create a new type of molecular-scale engineering. Although still in its early days, this line of research could lead to revolutionary ways of treating illness or creating complicated machines by growing them rather than assembling them from parts.
Winfree, who in 2000 won a MacArthur “genius grant,” focuses his research particularly on DNA, the molecule that stores genetic information. Our cells use this information to build the proteins that form our bodies’ structure and do nearly all the work involved in being alive. But Winfree is going beyond biology. He wants to exploit DNA’s unique chemical properties to process information like a computer (using novel scientific disciplines known as molecular programming and DNA computing) and even appropriate the DNA molecule as a scaffold on which to build useful structures. Winfree spoke to DISCOVER senior editor Stephen Cass about his work, its implications for understanding the origin of life, and where this kind of research could lead in the far future.
You work in biomolecular computing. What exactly is that? It is different things to different people. For me, it means understanding that chemical systems can perform information processing and be designed to carry out various tasks. One way I look at it is by analogy: We can design computers to perform all sorts of information tasks, and they are particularly useful when you can hook up those computers to control electromechanical systems. For instance, you can get inputs from a video camera. You can send outputs to a motor. The goal for biomolecular computing is to develop similar controls for chemical and molecular-scale systems. How can you program a set of molecules to carry out instructions?
