Biomaterial Database

Complexity from Simple Building Blocks: Engineering Large-scale Information-processing Networks from Molecules. 2016

Yaakov Benenson

Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Mattenstrasse 26, CH-4058 Basel, Switzerland. kobi.benenson@bsse.ethz.ch.

Complexity in molecular systems can manifest itself either structurally or functionally. One of the more complex functions encountered in the natural world is that of information processing, or computation. Similarly, artificial cells will require this capacity to fully exploit their potential. Here I review the state of the art in the field, describe our contribution to this challenge in the framework of NCCR Molecular Systems Engineering, and propose an outlook for future efforts.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D002621	Chemistry	A basic science concerned with the composition, structure, and properties of matter; and the reactions that occur between substances and the associated energy exchange.
D046911	Macromolecular Substances	Compounds and molecular complexes that consist of very large numbers of atoms and are generally over 500 kDa in size. In biological systems macromolecular substances usually can be visualized using ELECTRON MICROSCOPY and are distinguished from ORGANELLES by the lack of a membrane structure.	Macromolecular Complexes,Macromolecular Compounds,Macromolecular Compounds and Complexes,Complexes, Macromolecular,Compounds, Macromolecular,Substances, Macromolecular
D055808	Drug Discovery	The process of finding chemicals for potential therapeutic use.	Drug Prospecting,Discovery, Drug,Prospecting, Drug