Scientists Turned A Human Cell Into A Biological Computer Using CRISPR

Scientists say they have succeeded in using CRISPR tech to gene-hack a human cell, turning it into a mini biological computer. This particular device has dual-core processors.

New Atlas reported that eventually, the squishy tiny CPUs could result in powerful computers housed completely within a cell that diagnose and treat diseases.

Research which was published in PNAS journal April issue described the working mechanism of the cellular computers. This including the mimicking of the normal process in which genetic information is turned into proteins performing certain tasks inside a cell by organisms.

Scientists have programmed the computer to absorb genetic codes and carrying out computations resulting in a particular protein’s production. The difference between a biological computer and a human cell is that instead of following the genetic code of the DNA like a cell normally does, the computer takes in two inputs and then combines them to churn out the correct protein.

The researchers who work on these cellular devices say that they could program the computers so that they could scan and detect specific biomarkers that signify a disease’s presence. And if everything is right, the computers will then mass produce proteins or molecules to treat that disease.

In an interview with New Atlas, Martin Fussenegger, a researcher at MIT, said: