"DNA-Based 'Molecular Computer' Developed, Smaller Than 2nm Semiconductors"

A South Korean research team has successfully developed an "ultrafine molecular computer" that can be utilized in the bio and medical fields. Until now, DNA circuits at the molecular level have been used for simple functions, such as detecting the presence of cancer-related substances, but they had the limitation of being non-reusable after a single reaction. In contrast, the research team demonstrated the possibility of a new computing technology by implementing an ultrafine molecular computer that can simultaneously perform computation and memory (repetition) using DNA that is tens of thousands of times smaller than a human hair.

(From left) Professor Youngjae Choi of KAIST, Woojin Kim, integrated master's and doctoral student at GIST, Taehun Kim, Sangun Jeong, and Si-on Kim, research fellows at KAIST, Junho Shim, master's student at GIST. KAIST

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KAIST announced on April 22 that the research team led by Professor Youngjae Choi at the Graduate School of Engineering Biology has developed a DNA-based bio-transistor, creating a new molecular circuit capable of both computation and information storage.

The bio-transistor is essentially the "biological version of the core semiconductor device that receives signals and performs computation." Recently, semiconductor processing technology has reached the 2-nanometer (nm, one billionth of a meter) scale, indicating that ultrafine technology is approaching its physical limits.

For this reason, academia has been actively researching new computing methods that process information at the molecular level, moving beyond traditional silicon-based technologies.

In this process, DNA is attracting attention as a next-generation material for ultrahigh-density information processing because it can be precisely designed to trigger only desired reactions due to its complementary base pairing properties, and the distance between bases is only 0.34 nm.

However, existing DNA-based circuits have faced difficulties in performing continuous information processing or complex computations because of their "single-use" nature, where the circuit is consumed after one reaction.

To overcome these limitations, the research team designed a system in which DNA molecules bind or separate according to input signals, changing their arrangement, and maintaining that state. In this way, the changed molecular state itself serves as stored information, which can subsequently be used for further computation.

They have implemented a "reset-free" circuit, capable of processing real-time information while maintaining the previous state, without a separate initialization process.

Illustration of a bio-memory circuit capable of DNA-based ultrasmall and ultra-low power computing. KAIST

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This research is significant in that it has implemented the function of a transistor-a core semiconductor device that controls and amplifies electrical signals-at the DNA level. Above all, it is recognized as an achievement for establishing a foundation for "intelligent bio-systems," in which molecules themselves process and store information, going beyond simple chemical reactions.

Professor Choi said, "This research is a case that raises the feasibility of developing a 'molecular computer' using DNA to the next level," adding, "It could provide a new direction across the fields of bio-computing and medical technology."

The research was jointly authored by Professor Seongsun Lim, researchers Taehoon Kim, Sangeun Jung, and Sion Kim of the KAIST Graduate School of Engineering Biology, as well as Woojin Kim (integrated master's and doctoral course) and Junho Sim (master's course) of the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), with Professor Youngjae Choi as the corresponding author.

The research findings were published on April 1 in the international journal Science Advances.

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