Engineering Genetic Circuits

Chris Myers, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah - USA

Abstract: Through the use of microarrays and other new technologies, we are beginning to obtain data on how genes interact to perform complex biological functions. To reason about these genetic circuits, a systems biology perspective is necessary in which new models and efficient analysis techniques must be developed. Given their vast experience in reasoning about complex electronic circuits, engineers are uniquely equipped to assist with this effort. An engineering approach to this problem involves three steps. First, engineers examine experimental data in order to develop models. Second, engineers develop efficient analysis methods to reason about these models. Finally, engineers use these analysis methods to assist in the design of new circuits. This talk presents our research in each of these three areas. First, we present a Bayesian approach to analyzing time series experimental data to learn the model for the genetic circuit that produced that data. Second, we present an abstraction methodology that transforms a reaction-based model of a genetic circuit into a stochastic asynchronous circuit model that facilitates efficient analysis. Results are presented for the phage lambda virus and the E. Coli FIM system. Finally, we present initial work on the design of a genetic circuit to perform the function of a Muller C-element, the basic state-holding gate found in most asynchronous circuit designs.

About the speaker: Chris J. Myers received the B.S. degree in electrical engineering and Chinese history in 1991 from the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, and the M.S.E.E. and Ph.D. degrees from Stanford University, Stanford, CA, in 1993 and 1995, respectively. He is a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT. Dr. Myers is the author of over 60 technical papers and the textbook Asynchronous Circuit Design. He is also a co-inventor on 4 patents. His research interests include algorithms for the analysis of real-time concurrent systems, analog error control decoders, formal verification, asynchronous circuit design, and the modeling and analysis of genetic regulatory circuits. Dr. Myers received an NSF Fellowship in 1991, an NSF CAREER award in 1996, and a best paper award at Async99.

 

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