Researchers at the Hebrew University—PhD candidate Keren Roaz and Dr. Lior Nissim—have developed artificial genetic constructs that turn living human cells into miniature computing devices. These biological circuits can detect external signals, process them, and make autonomous decisions without any outside intervention.
Earlier attempts to build complex genetic programs inside cells were hampered by limited resources: each new instruction required an additional computational layer, and as the system grew more intricate, its speed and reliability dropped sharply. The new approach overcomes this obstacle by leveraging a process called RNA trans-splicing—a natural mechanism where fragments of genetic messages are joined together. Combined with specially engineered regulatory elements, this enables multiple signals to be processed in parallel, making the system far more efficient than previous versions.
In a demonstration experiment, the authors programmed cells to produce interleukin-15—a protein that activates immune cells to attack malignant growths. According to Dr. Nissim, the new method requires far fewer genetic “building blocks” and computational steps, while still delivering high precision and functionality even in complex scenarios.
This breakthrough paves the way for a fundamentally new kind of pharmacology: in the future, therapeutic drugs could be designed like software code, embedding a clear sequence of instructions into the cell—when and how to recognize a disease and precisely how to respond. This is especially relevant for developing smart cancer treatments, where the cell itself becomes both the sensor and the active therapeutic agent.
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