In this paper, we consider the implementation of a cellular automaton by DNA computing. The proposed system is a reaction–diffusion system built on a structured hydrogel matrix that mimics cellular compartments of biological tissues. Since the cellular automaton is materialized by a hydrogel matrix, the system is called gellular automaton which is theoretically capable of pattern formation and computation by chemical reactions. We focus on technical aspects of the implementation of the gellular automata, such as fabrication of the array of cells, the realization of inter-cellular molecular communication, and how to realize state transitions of cells. Along with the evaluation of each technical element, some simple experimental demonstrations of pattern formation are described.

中文翻译：

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基于DNA计算的离散凝胶矩阵模式形成

在本文中，我们考虑通过 DNA 计算实现元胞自动机。所提出的系统是一种反应扩散系统，它建立在模拟生物组织细胞隔室的结构化水凝胶基质上。由于元胞自动机是由水凝胶基质实现的，因此该系统被称为凝胶自动机，理论上能够通过化学反应形成模式和计算。我们专注于凝胶自动机实现的技术方面，例如细胞阵列的制作、细胞间分子通讯的实现以及如何实现细胞的状态转换。随着对每个技术要素的评估，还描述了一些简单的图案形成实验演示。