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SUMMARY:Molecular Programming - Professor Luca Cardelli (Microsoft Researc
 h)
DTSTART:20130124T180000Z
DTEND:20130124T190000Z
UID:TALK43035@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:30658
DESCRIPTION:Nucleic acids (DNA/RNA) encode information digitally\, and are
  currently the only truly 'user-programmable' entities at the molecular sc
 ale. They can be used to manufacture nano-scale structures\, to produce ph
 ysical forces\, to act as sensors and actuators\, and to do computation in
  between. Eventually we will be able to use them to design nanostructure a
 t the bottom end of Moore's Law\, and to interface them with biological ma
 chinery to detect and cure diseases at the cellular level under program co
 ntrol. The basic technology to create and manipulate these devices has exi
 sted for many years\, but the imagination necessary to exploit them has be
 en evolving slowly. Recently\, some very simple computational schemes have
  been developed that are autonomous (run on their own once started) and in
 volve only short (easily synthesizable) DNA strands with no other complex 
 molecules.\n\nWe now need programming abstractions and tools that are suit
 able for molecular programming\, and this requires a whole hierarchy of co
 ncepts to come together. Low-level molecular design is required to produce
  molecules that interact in the desired controllable ways. On that basis\,
  we can then design various kinds of 'logic gates' and 'computational arch
 itectures'\, where much imagination is currently needed. We also need prog
 ramming languages to organize complex designs both at the level of gate de
 sign\, and at the level of circuit design. Since DNA computation is massiv
 ely concurrent\, some tricky and yet familiar programming issues arise: th
 e need to formally verify circuit designs to avoid subtle deadlocks and ra
 ce conditions\, and the need to design high-level languages that exploit c
 oncurrency and stochasticity.\n\nAdmission free to CUCaTS members\, £2 ot
 herwise. Membership may also be bought at the door. As usual refreshments 
 will be served 15 minutes before the start of the talk.
LOCATION:Winstanley Lecture Hall\, Trinity College
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