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Bacterial Computing and Molecular Communication

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Handbook of Natural Computing

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Abstract

Emerging technologies that enable the engineering of nano- or cell-scale systems using biological and/or artificially synthesized molecules as computing and communication devices have been receiving increased attention. This chapter focuses on “bacterial computing,” which attempts to create an autonomous cell-based Turing machine, and “molecular communication,” which attempts to create non-electromagnetic-wave-based communication paradigms by using molecules as an information medium. Section 2 introduces seminal works for constructing in vivo logic circuits, and focuses on research into implementing in vitro and in vivo finite automata in the framework of DNA-based computing. Furthermore, the first experimental development of a programmable in vivo computer that executes a finite-state automaton in bacteria is highlighted. Section 3 reports on the system design, experimental results, and research trends of molecular communication components (senders, molecular communication interfaces, molecular propagation systems, and receivers) that use bacteria, lipids, proteins, and DNA as communication devices.

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Acknowledgments

The first author of this book chapter would like to thank many people who executed and supported the research shown in this chapter, especially Junna Kuramochi, Hirotaka Nakagawa, Kensaku Sakamoto, Takahiro Hohsaka, Takashi Yokomori, and Satoshi Kobayashi. This work was supported in part by special coordination funds for Promoting Science and Technology from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of the Japanese Government, and through a grant from the Bioinformatics Research and Development of the Japanese Science and Technology Agency.

The second author of this chapter would like to thank Prof. Kazuo Sutoh and Associate Prof. Shoji Takeuchi (The University of Tokyo), Prof. Jun-ichi Kikuchi (Nara Institute of Science and Technology), Prof. Kazunari Akiyoshi and Associate Prof. Yoshihiro Sasaki (Tokyo Medical and Dental University), Prof. Tatsuya Suda (University of California, Irvine), and Mr. Yuki Moritani (NTT DOCOMO, Inc.) for their considerable help with the promotion of molecular communication research.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biosciences and Informatics, Keio University, Yokohama, Japan

    Yasubumi Sakakibara

  2. Research Laboratories, NTT DOCOMO, Inc., Yokosuka, Japan

    Satoshi Hiyama

Authors
  1. Yasubumi Sakakibara
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  2. Satoshi Hiyama
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Yasubumi Sakakibara or Satoshi Hiyama .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. LIACS, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Grzegorz Rozenberg

  2. Computer Science Department, University of Colorado, Boulder, USA

    Grzegorz Rozenberg

  3. LIACS, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Thomas Bäck

  4. LIACS, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Joost N. Kok

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Sakakibara, Y., Hiyama, S. (2012). Bacterial Computing and Molecular Communication. In: Rozenberg, G., Bäck, T., Kok, J.N. (eds) Handbook of Natural Computing. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-92910-9_36

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