Gene Expression Profiling Diagnosis via DNA Molecular Computation

Gene expression profiling is the characterization of cells based on the level of gene activity represented by concentrations of messenger RNA (mRNA) and translated into a collection of copy DNA (cDNA). The spectrum of cDNA concentrations or expression profile is determined by analysis using a DNA microarray. Although this approach is certainly very valuable for research, it might be desirable to have a simpler scheme that would give answers on a shorter time scale for clinical applications. An Adleman DNA self-assembly computer that would use cDNA as input might be ideal for clinical cell discrimination and a neural network architecture would be appropriate for making the needed classifications. Preliminary experimental results suggest expression profiling should be feasible using a DNA neural network acting directly on cDNA.