Scientists switch components in cell circuits: Possible new technolog...( They then tested the protein encoded b...)

Other attempts to engineer proteins have relied on making many specific mutations in proteins changing their sequence a much more difficult undertaking, says Lim, than the modular replacement his lab accomplished.

"Not only is the modular approach easier, but it can also yield proteins capable of integrating multiple signals, mimicking the sophisticated behavior required for cell functions," Lim says. "With that integration, unlike a simple light switch, you can do more complex things."

Switches that can integrate multiple signals also form the backbone of modern electronic circuits, he points out.

"Cells do computations and process information in much the same way computers do, so maybe we can 'reprogram' cells the way we can reprogram computers."

John Dueber, BS, and Brian Yeh, BS, two of Lim's graduate students, are finalists in the Collegiate Inventors Competition (sponsored by the National Inventor's Hall of Fame) based on this work. UCSF and Lim have applied for a patent on this technology.

'"/>

Contact: Wallace Ravven
wravven@pubaff.ucsf.edu
415-476-2557
University of California - San Francisco
25-Sep-2003