There is no design template more important than DNA. Within the sequences of this exquisite substance lie the design plans for each of us and for every living organism. Shaped over billions of years by the creative machinations of evolution, this design template encodes the most complex dynamical systems known to us. Yet, it is only in our lifetimes that we are able to directly edit this template and engineer our own designs. The story that I tell in this article is about our early attempts to design and commission our own control systems in living cells. Guided by what we have learned from controlling man-made systems, we are beginning to develop the theory and methodologies needed to build control systems at the molecular level, an endeavor that is as challenging as it is rewarding. If carried out responsibly, this new ability to reshape the DNA template can have a tremendous benefit for our health and well-being, and will drive major advances in basic science, industrial biotechnology, and medical therapy. In this article, I will take the readers of the proceedings on a journey through the new and promising world of rationally designed genetic control systems. Using a minimum of jargon, I will introduce them to the biological concepts needed to develop an understanding and appreciation of the main design concepts emerging in this nascent area of research. My goal is to convey my own sense of excitement about the possibilities, but it is also to impart a feeling of the opportunities that lay ahead for members of the IEEE to contribute with their own creative ideas to the shaping of this most versatile of design templates, the DNA.

中文翻译：

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网络遗传学：遗传控制系统的理论与应用


没有比 DNA 更重要的设计模板了。在这种精致物质的序列中蕴含着我们每个人和每个生物体的设计计划。这个设计模板经过数十亿年的创造性进化机制的塑造，编码了我们已知的最复杂的动力系统。然而，只有在我们有生之年，我们才能直接编辑这个模板并设计我们自己的设计。我在本文中讲述的故事是关于我们在活细胞中设计和调试我们自己的控制系统的早期尝试。在我们从控制人造系统中学到的知识的指导下，我们开始开发在分子水平上构建控制系统所需的理论和方法，这是一项充满挑战和回报的努力。如果以负责任的方式进行，这种重塑 DNA 模板的新能力可以为我们的健康和福祉带来巨大的好处，并将推动基础科学、工业生物技术和医学治疗的重大进步。在这篇文章中，我将带领会议的读者踏上一段旅程，穿越合理设计的基因控制系统的新的、充满希望的世界。我将使用最少的术语向他们介绍生物学概念，以帮助他们理解和欣赏这一新兴研究领域中出现的主要设计概念。我的目标是传达我自己对各种可能性的兴奋感，同时也让 IEEE 成员感受到机会，他们可以用自己的创意来塑造这个最通用的设计模板，DNA。