Title: Some How's and Why's of Programming DNA Molecules

Abstract: 

Programs that execute within cells or that create intricate structures at nano-scale resolution are now a reality---designed and implemented using DNA molecules. As the scale and variety of DNA programs expands, a rich theory of molecular programming is    emerging.     

Why might we program molecules? Molecular programming offers the promise of understanding and changing our world at staggeringly small scales, with applications to disease diagnosis and therapeutics. It also prompts us to broaden our views of computation and its role in producing order and complexity in living systems.     

How can we program molecules? At a low level of abstraction, DNA    programs are sequences of A,C,G and T bases that comprise DNA molecules, and changes in the pattern of complementary A-T and C-G base pairs reflect the execution of a program. Sets of chemical    reactions provide a useful model for reasoning at a higher level    about the capabilities and limitations of molecular programs.     

In this talk I'll illustrate some why's and how's of DNA programming, and I'll describe research problems with a  combinatorial and algorithmic flavor that arise in this field.