ECS 289A: Theory of Molecular Computation
Winter 2021

Course announcement (PDF)

Instructor

Dave Doty
doty@ucdavis.edu
Office: Zoom link
Office hours: Wed 10:00-11:00am

Lectures

Tuesday and Thursday, 9:00-10:20am, Zoom link

Course objective

To study the fundamental abilities and limits to the engineering of automated (i.e., computational) molecular systems, in a mathematically rigorous way.

Prerequisites

ECS 120 or equivalent (familiarity with Chapters 1,3,4,7 of Introduction to the Theory of Computation by Sipser).

Prior experience with probability theory is useful; in particular, Chapters 1-2 of Probability and Computing: Randomization and Probabilistic Techniques in Algorithms and Data Analysis, by Mitzenmacher and Upfal.

Campuswire

The Campuswire page for the course can be used to ask questions about the course and homework. Please use Campuswire instead of email unless the question is of a personal nature.

Slides

slides (these are new this quarter, not as detailed as the notes, but I hope to be a bit easier to follow)

Videos

I recorded videos of the lectures in Winter 2021.

Notes

lecture notes (these are not comprehensive since I often take material straight from a paper; they were used prior to Winter 2021, when I switched to slides, but they are more detailed in many proofs than the slides, while covering fewer total topics)

Homework

There is a Canvas page with the homework posted.

Project

Project ideas

Schedule

Algorithmic tile self-assembly

  1. Tues, Jan 5, 2021
    Introduction to course, introduction to abstract Tile Assembly Model (aTAM)
    aTAM video introduction
    ISU TAS simulator
  2. Thurs, Jan 7, 2021
    tile complexity of assembling squares
    O(log n) tile types for assembling an n x n square
    Ω(log n / log log n) tile types necessary to assemble an n x n square
    paper: The Program-Size Complexity of Self-Assembled Squares,
    O(log n / log log n) tile types sufficient to assemble an n x n square
    paper: Running Time and Program Size for Self-assembled Squares
  3. Tues, Jan 12, 2021
    formal definition of the aTAM
  4. Thurs, Jan 14, 2021
    simulation of Turing machine with a tile assembly system
    assembling scaled-up version of any finite shape from optimal number of tile types
    paper: Complexity of Self-Assembled Shapes,
    computable shape not strictly self-assembled by any TAS
    paper: Strict Self-Assembly of Discrete Sierpinski Triangles,
    computable set not weakly self-assembled by any TAS
    paper: Computability and Complexity in Self-Assembly
  5. Tues, Jan 19, 2021
    concentration programming
    paper: Randomized self-assembly for exact shapes
    finite shape that requires more tile types to strictly self-assemble with a directed TAS than a non-directed TAS; NPNP-completeness of computing minimum tile set strictly self-assembling a shape
    paper: The Power of Nondeterminism in Self-Assembly
  6. Thurs, Jan 21, 2021
    kTAM for error analysis
    paper: Simulations of Computing by Self-Assembly
    proofreading for error-correction
    paper: Proofreading Tile Sets: Error Correction for Algorithmic Self-Assembly
Some other topics we didn't cover on algorithmic self-assembly:

Chemical reaction networks

  1. Tues, Jan 26, 2021
    Introduction to chemical reaction networks (CRNs). Examples of stable predicate and function computation.
    paper (predicates): Computation in Networks of Passively Mobile Finite-State Sensors
    paper (functions): Deterministic Function Computation with Chemical Reaction Networks
  2. Thurs, Jan 28, 2021
    Formal definition of stable predicate/function computation.
    Characterizations of stable computation in terms of reachability, probability-1, and fair executions
    Feedforward CRNs.
  3. Tues, Feb 2, 2021
    Non-competitive CRNs.
    Formal definition discrete chemical kinetic model (Gillespie model).
    paper: Exact stochastic simulation of coupled chemical reactions
  4. Thurs, Feb 4, 2021
    Derivation of expected completion times for some simple CRNs.
    time complexity analysis of computing functions/predicates with CRNs
    Definition of semilinear sets and functions, claim that only they can be stably computed.
  5. Tues, Feb 9, 2021
    Every semilinear set/function can be stably computed by a CRN.
    paper (predicates): Computation in Networks of Passively Mobile Finite-State Sensors
    paper (functions): Deterministic Function Computation with Chemical Reaction Networks
  6. Thurs, Feb 11, 2021
    Only semilinear sets/functions can be stably computed by a CRN.
    paper (predicates): Stably Computable Predicates are Semilinear
    paper (functions): Deterministic Function Computation with Chemical Reaction Networks
  7. Tues, Feb 16, 2021
    Statement (without proofs) of what is known about predicates/functions stably computable in sublinear time
    Brief overview of results under other modeling choices: Register machines.
    Turing-universality: simulation of register machines by CRNs with a small probability of error; statement of CRN time complexity lower bounds
    paper: Computation with Finite Stochastic Chemical Reaction Networks
    paper: Fast Computation by Population Protocols With a Leader

DNA strand displacement

  1. Thurs, Feb 18, 2021
    Guest lecture by Chris Thachuk. Introduction to DNA strand displacement.
    Visual DSD (simulation tool)
    papers:
  2. Tues, Feb 23, 2021
    Guest lecture by Chris Thachuk.
    dual-rail logic for Boolean circuits. ABC for minimizing circuits.
    Leaks and error-prevention in DNA strand displacement.
    papers:

DNA sequence design

  1. Thurs, Feb 25, 2021
    DNA energy models
    polynomial-time algorithm for minimum free energy
    DNA sequence design for arbitrary constraints with stochastic local search
    papers:

Thermodynamic binding networks

  1. Tues, Mar 2, 2021
    Thermodynamic binding networks
    Boolean circuits
    paper: Thermodynamic binding networks
  2. Thurs, Mar 4, 2021
    Thermodynamic binding networks
    Kinetic barriers
    Exponential size bound on stable polymers
    aTAM counter that is thermodynamically stable
    papers:

Project presentations

  1. Tues, Mar 9, 2021
    Project presentations
  2. Thurs, Mar 11, 2021
    Project presentations