皆様

先日告知させていただきました、MITでSynthetic biologyの研究を進めているTom Knightさんの講演要旨です。

日時
1/16 (月） 13:30-15:00

東京大学駒場�Tキャンパス16号館1階126/127号室
（マップ：http://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/campusmap/cam02_01_15_j.html）

                        Computing with Life 

                            Tom Knight 
     MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory 
      Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science 

     Biology performs some of our most sophisticated computation, and 
exhibits a robustness and adaptability uncharacteristic of our current 
generation of computers.  One way of capitalizing on this realization 
is to learn and copy techniques from biology and apply them to 
building and improving our existing computational infrastructure. 

     But we can also consider another agenda -- that of replacing or 
augmenting the electronics/silicon substrate of modern computation 
with a living, biochemical substrate.  Important engineering 
advantages of this synthetic biology approach include the (unique) 
capability of self-replication, a straightforward interface to the 
chemical world, and access to the most sophisticated nanostructural 
assembly system, the ribosome. 

     In the past several years, we have begun the long process of 
intentional engineering of behavior into simple living systems.  In 
this talk, I will try to explain what we, and others, have 
accomplished to date, and to present a plan for further development of 
this technology. 

     In particular, I will summarize some preliminary results in 

*  embedding digital logic within living cells, using protein 
     concentration as an intracellular signal; 

*  signalling cell to cell as a mechanism for orchestrating more 
     complex multicellular behavior; 

* identification of a very simple living system, and the prospects for 
     intentional further reduction of its complexity. 
     Think of this as the chassis, power supply, and manufacturing 
     facility. 

I think of this technology as the field of microbial robotics -- with 
an agenda to take control over the existing sensory, computational, 
and actuation mechanisms of living cells.  I believe gaining control 
over these mechanisms will be an important stepping stone to bulk 
fabrication of information-rich nanoscale components, with important 
  applications in (among many other areas) high performance and low 
power computation. 


Tom Knight has been at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory 
since 1964, and is currently a Senior Research Scientist in the 
Laboratory and in the MIT Department of Electrical Engineering and 
Computer Science.  His past work has been in the area of computer 
languages, operating systems, architecture and silicon implementation. 
His current major implementation effort is the creation of a new 
engineering discipline, synthetic biology, addressing the use of 
purposefully engineered biological mechanisms to solve engineering and 
manufacturing problems. 


奮ってご参加ください。よろしくお願いします．



氏は計算機科学がバックグラウンドですが、wet labも構えていて、彼の学生とともに実験を行っています。

関連webサイト

http://knight.openwetware.org/
http://web.archive.org/web/20040202103232/http://www.ai.mit.edu/people/tk/tk.html
http://people.csail.mit.edu/tk/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Knight





**************
木賀大介　

東京工業大学 大学院総合理工学研究科 
知能システム科学専攻　助教授
http://www.sb.dis.titech.ac.jp/

〒226-8502 
横浜市緑区長津田町4259 
すずかけ台 J2棟 1806号室 木賀研究室
Tel&Fax  (045)-924-5213