(Washington Times) Joyce Howard Price - Researchers in Israel have developed a molecular computer that someday could allow doctors to use genetic material to detect and treat cancer and other diseases from inside the body. Ehud Shapiro of Israel's Weizmann Institute of Science told the journal Nature, "It is decades off, but future generations of DNA computers could function as doctors inside cells." Biocomputers could diagnose disease within cells as well as dispense drugs as required. Instead of being controlled by silicon chips and electrical circuits, the molecular or DNA computer harnesses DNA strands to store information. Researchers point out that the computer power of 1 trillion compact discs could be stored in less than an ounce of dried DNA.
2004-04-30 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive