The Evolution of DNA-Based Molecular Computing

Abstract

The first demonstration of DNA computing was realized by Adleman in 1994, aiming to solve hard combinational problems with DNA molecules. This pioneering work initiated the evolution of the field of DNA computing during the last three decades. Up to date, the implemented functions of DNA computing have been expanded to logic operations, neural network computations, time-domain oscillator circuits, distributed computing, etc. Herein, the history of DNA computing is briefly reviewed, followed by discussions on opportunities and challenges of DNA-based molecular computing, especially from the perspective of algorithm design. Future directions and design strategies for next-generation DNA computing is also discussed.