Thursday, April 18, 2019

Cell Computer

Science Daily  reports that researchers have two CRISPR-CAS9 based core processors into human cells. Researchers at the Department of Bio-systems Science and Engineering at ETH Zurich in Basel led by Professor Martine Fussenegger, who is a professor in Biotechnology and Bio-engineering have found a way to use biological components to makes a CPU that can accepted all kinds of different programming. It uses the Cas9 protein at its core and with response to input from RNA sequences the CPU can regulate gene expression in a particular gene.



This type of research can be used for treatments of things like cancer. The CPU can detect certain bio markers and if one or the other is missing it can respond accordingly. This can mean that it can detect a marker that may show a cancer in metastasizing and therefore produce a chemical that can target those growths. They hope to further this research and even get into multi-core processors.

2 comments:

  1. That research seems like it could completely change the way people look at medicine. Instead of waiting for a cancerous tumor or disease to actual develop and be harmful, they'd be identified and treated immediately. I've heard David Sinclair talk about this idea a lot. He is a professor at Harvard who specifies in longevity studies.

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  2. This research could change the treatments for cancer and make it less horrible. Instead of having to struggle with radiation or chemotherapy they can produce a chemical to target the cancerous cells and prevent them from growing. I really hope they find an alternative to chemo and are able to move forward with this research.

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