A multi-function synthetic DNA-based Arrow Computing Machine, which recognizes unrestricted context-sensitive grammar.

Synthetic Bio‐Molecular Computing machines have been rapidly evolving as an independent field, which integrates computer science, mathematics, chemistry, and biology. Different types of machinery such as finite-state automata and transducers have been mainly engineered by using nucleic acids, restriction and ligation enzymes as their core units. One of the major advantages of these biochemical machines are the ability to utilize energy form their nucleotides’ energy-rich phosphodiester bonds. However, biological systems are known for their capacity to gain mutations and this acts as a drawback in the aspect of the computer, due to the potential of mutation to halt the computational processes.

Hence, we engineered a DNA-based Arrow Computing Machine (ACM) that can perform computational processes and presents the output as a biological function. ACM is a discrete theoretical model of a computing machine that can process information, encode computational output and even use the process-produced data in the next stages of computation. These abilities provide higher computation capabilities: recognizing unrestricted grammars and context-sensitive grammar.

This innovative ACM technology opens a gate to facilitate the interface between computer engineering and biology by exceeding the challenge of integrating computer devices to biological systems. Our newly developed ACM output is reported as a biological signal – a gene expression, thus allowing multiple benefits, such as the ability to read and transform genetic information, miniaturization to the molecular scale, allow parallelism, and the aptitude to produce computational results, which interact directly with living organisms.