Information Security Systems Based on Biomolecular Information Processing

Digital information processing paradigms have inspired the design of chemical and biochemical systems operating with computational functionalities. Biomolecule-based unconventional computing has been applied to information security systems and demonstrated with DNA, but as emphasized herein, with biocatalysts and antibodies as well. Using conventional digital circuitry as inspiration, a keypad lock design was configured using biocatalytic cascades and antibody bio-recognition sequences. The biomolecular keypad locks were interfaced with switchable electrodes and incorporated into a model biofuel cell to demonstrate logically controlled power output. In addition, a robust bioelectronic interface served as a key that unlocks strings of digital code; the generated code-based on the control of the oxygen reduction reaction-produced a directly readable barcode.