Programming cells with computer logic
The beauty of technology is in its ability to emulate nature and integrate with it seamlessly despite the two seeming drastically disparate.
Researchers have begun efforts to apply computer logic gates in the form of artificial protein and DNA samples in cells to help prolong the functional life of T-cells in our immune system and ward off T-cell exhaustion.
In computer programming, logic gates are a simple algorithmic tool that allows a computer to make a decision based on inputs and it instructs it on what to do with those inputs. For example, the AND gate will be activated when both Input A and Input B are received, resulting in a unique outcome. So when you hit Shift AND the letter ‘a’ on your computer, the AND logic gate is activated to produce a capital ‘a’ (A).
Something you may not have considered is the fact that cells are performing millions of functions yet they are absent of a brain to make conscious decisions. From a chemical level, cells are functioning on a similar basis in which a molecule meeting its receptor will activate a pathway and lead to a cellular response.
So then, what if we were to harness this knowledge and manipulate the functions of cells by dictating some of this logic? A research team at the University of Washington School of Medicine have been doing exactly that.
They’ve developed biological protein based logic gates that are being implanted in T-cells (responsible for fighting infection) to prevent T-cell death.
T-cells have been genetically modified before to help them better target solid tumours as a cancer therapy but have shown reduced life spans which has limited the success of such therapies. Artificial protein logic gates could be the answer to this with the ability to control gene expression in response to the presence of exhaustion signalling from T-cells themselves.
Now, this doesn’t mean we’re fast approaching the singularity, rather we’re taking advantage of the similar decision making process between cells and computers. But nonetheless, the research gives hope that we’ll see more cell based therapies finding success and viability as alternatives to chemotherapy.
References:
- Zibo Chen, Ryan D. Kibler, Andrew Hunt, Florian Busch, Jocelynn Pearl, Mengxuan Jia, Zachary L. VanAernum, Basile I. M. Wicky, Galen Dods, Hanna Liao, Matthew S. Wilken, Christie Ciarlo, Shon Green, Hana El-Samad, John Stamatoyannopoulos, Vicki H. Wysocki, Michael C. Jewett, Scott E. Boyken, David Baker. De novo design of protein logic gates. Science, 2020; 368 (6486): 78 DOI: 10.1126/science.aay2790
