Priority Encoder Based on DNA Strand Displacement

The slow development of traditional computing has prompted the search for new materials to replace silicon-based computers. Bio-computers, which use molecules as the basis of computation, are highly parallel and information capable, attracting a lot of attention. In this study, we designed a NAND logic gate based on the DNA strand displacement mechanism. We assembled a molecular calculation model, a 4-wire-2-wire priority encoder logic circuit, by cascading the proposed NAND gates. Different concentrations of input DNA chains were added into the system, resulting in corresponding output, through DNA hybridization and strand displacement. Therefore, it achieved the function of a priority encoder. Simulation results verify the effectiveness and accuracy of the molecular NAND logic gate and the priority coding system presented in this study. The unique point of this proposed circuit is that we cascaded only one kind of logic gate, which provides a beneficial exploration for the subsequent development of complex DNA cascade circuits and the realization of the logical coding function of information.