DNA computing -- A functional model in the practical experiment in the laboratory (Q1606612)

DNA computing as a new model for computation is worldwide considered with respect to its chances and limits. During the last years a huge progress in this field of research could be observed. Both remarkable theoretical studies about ''Calculating inside the reaction tube'' and lab-practical implementations are focussed. An instance of the integer knapsack problem was solved at Dresden University of Technology in an interdisciplinary manner. In this context, a multiplicity of molecular biological operations was analyzed. Using the applicable set of operations it was possible to model a universal description of DNA computing close to the laboratory. The methods and techniques the description is based on are introduced and evaluated. The specification of the DNA algorithm shows a way how single operations can be combined advantageously to a sequence of operations. This aspect and an appropriate DNA encoding of input data led to a successful solution in the laboratory. For the first time natural numbers were processed. The Dresden DNA Computation Group concentrates on objectives that connect formal models of DNA computing with convincing implementations in the laboratory.