64 points by khokao 5 months ago
We’ve built Synergetica, an open-source desktop app for end-to-end genetic circuit design. It supports node-based or code-based editing, interactive simulations, and automated DNA sequence generation.
You can find the repo and docs here:
- GitHub: https://github.com/khokao/synergetica
Thanks for checking this out! In this context, “genetic circuit” refers to synthetic biology constructs that use biological components (such as promoters and proteins) to regulate gene expression, rather than electrical circuits created by genetic algorithms.
> To get started, install both the backend Docker image and the desktop application.
> If the Docker engine is running when you open the desktop app, the Docker container will automatically start and the API will launch on port 7007.
There is no reasonable reason for this, given the context of a PC application. I also write moecular-bio PC applications, and this has not been a consideration.
Could someone please explain what a genetic circuit is, for those out of the loop (like me)?
Protein A binds to DNA at a specific spot near Gene B and allows the cell to make more Protein B (which is the product of Gene B). Protein B then binds near Gene A and prevents Protein A from being produced. This causes oscillations as the genes A and B activate and repress each other. The details are quite a bit more complex, but that's the basic idea. You can get very complex circuits that implement very interesting and useful behavior. Imagine engineering an immune cell so that it only attacks cancer cells displaying certain proteins on it. More generally, an insanely complex web of interactions between genes and proteins and other chemicals governs the development of all multicellular organisms.
Am I the only one who expected Electrical Circuits designed via Genetic Algorithms?