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Molecular Computing Featured in Nature Physics

June 17, 2009

Professor Darko Stefanovic's research on molecular computing was featured in an article at the June 2009 issue of Nature Phyiscs (Vol 5, No. 6). The article, "Attack of the cyberspider", (subscription required) emphasizes his joint research with Prof. Milan Stojanovic of the Department of Medicine at Columbia University on molecular computing and control. Prof. Stefanovic and his colleagues used single-stranded DNA to design a number of simple logic gates based on chemical activity. Their implementation works in solution and can be used to carry out information processing in biological fluids. The article predicts that future molecular control systems will be able to detect specific DNA sequences, for example, and to release specific drugs or molecules in response. Their recent development, molecular spiders - biomolecular systems having two to six extended deoxyribozymes attached to a protein - is also discussed in the article. Prof. Stefanovic's work in biomolecular computation has earned him a number of NSF grants and he was also named the School of Engineering's Regents' Lecturer, based on his outstanding research, teaching and service accomplishments.