- Human cells processed multiple biological signals simultaneously using fewer genetic instructions
- RNA trans-splicing allowed cells to efficiently execute complex computational operations
- Researchers successfully built living versions of computer adders and multiplexers
Researchers at the Hebrew University claim to have designed human cells capable of processing multiple biological signals simultaneously, a bit like small computer chips.
Doctoral student Keren Roas and Dr. Lior Nissim built an artificial genetic system that allows cells to follow overlapping instructions without the usual loss of reliability.
Their findings, published in Natural communicationsdescribe a method that could eventually allow cells to diagnose disease and respond automatically inside the body.
A new approach to genetic computing
Traditional genetic circuits operate a bit like a large building, where each additional instruction requires another layer of internal computation to function properly.
As these systems become more complex, their performance and reliability tend to decline quite quickly under real-world conditions.
The Hebrew University team addressed this limitation by using a natural process called RNA trans-splicing, which connects distinct genetic messages inside a living cell.
They combined this process with natural and artificial regulatory elements to create molecular tools resembling biological processors.
Dr Nissim explained that the new method allows cells to run complex programs using far fewer calculations and genetic elements than before.
This reduction, he says, allows more advanced biological programs to be built without sacrificing precision or functional consistency.
“Our new approach allows cells to execute complex programs using far fewer calculations and genetic components,” said Dr. Nissim.
“This makes it possible to create much more advanced biological programs without losing functionality.”
To demonstrate the system, the researchers built a biological “full adder,” a three-bit device capable of performing simple binary calculations similar to a computer processor.
They also created a biological multiplexer, a component that selects a signal from several options and transmits it.
Fluorescent proteins glowing in different colors allowed the team to track in real time how these signals moved through each modified cell.
Towards programmable cell therapies
The system also includes a built-in safety mechanism that activates when a cell internally detects an invalid or overloaded genetic configuration.
This produces a distinct warning signal that researchers believe could potentially help prevent errors during real-world medical treatments.
As a practical demonstration, the team programmed cells to produce interleukin-15, an immune protein known to more effectively activate cancer-fighting immune cells.
In theory, similarly programmed cells could monitor multiple disease markers at once before delivering treatment only when needed.
Such precision could allow future therapies to directly target diseased tissues while limiting damage to surrounding healthy cells nearby.
By reducing the genetic material and energy required for cellular decision-making, the researchers have created a particularly flexible toolbox for future work.
Whether this approach can reliably scale from laboratory demonstrations to actual clinical treatments remains an open and unresolved question.
Yet the underlying logic suggests that medicine might increasingly resemble software design, with biological code telling cells precisely when and how to act.
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