An international team of scientists have made the first DNA 'wire' that can carry an electric current, paving the way for more sophisticated, cheaper and simpler computer circuits.

Computers are one of the greatest technological inventions of the 20th century. This development led to the rise of internet era and brought huge advances to communications.

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Since then, the central goal of computer evolution has been miniaturization. Although scientists have made remarkable progress in reducing the size of computer components, they've failed in minimizing the distance between transistors.

Transistors are critical elements of computers. Reducing the spaces between these elements has become a major challenge that limits designers from creating components that are smaller than modern technology.

Molecular electronics is billed as the ultimate solution to this challenge since it uses molecules for the fabrication of electronic components. But no one has yet made electrical circuits by using molecules.

DNA molecules are the only molecules that can self-assemble into complex miniature circuits. No DNA molecules have successfully carried an electrical current that could potentially boost computer systems.

Now, scientists from all over the world collaborated with researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem to make a significant breakthrough in the development of electrical circuits based on DNA molecules.

The recent study reports a reproducible flow of electricity through long molecules of DNA strands, making it the first DNA wire. Quantitative measurement of currents ranging from tens of picoamperes to around 100 picoamperes over distances between tens of nanometers and more than 100 nanometers were also recorded.

"This research paves the way for implementing DNA-based programmable circuits for molecular electronics, which could lead to a new generation of computer circuits that can be more sophisticated, cheaper and simpler to make," noted Prof. Danny Porath, lead author of the study.

The research study, which could spark interest in the use of DNA-based technology in the development of computer circuits, was published Tuesday in the journal, Nature Nanotechnology. 

TagsDNA molecules, DNA-based electric current, Molecular Electronics, Microelectronics, computer, Computer technology