Can we program a cell like an engineer programs a device?

The molecular connectivity between genes and proteins inside a cell shows a good degree of resemblance with complex electrical circuits. This inspires the possibility of engineering a cell similar to an engineering device. In this talk, we discuss our effort to reprogram cellular function with mathematically predictable output, by adapting engineering principle in the realm of molecular biology. We have created a set of synthetic genetic devices that functions as cellular ‘antivirus software’ by controlling the virus attack to the bacteria. The other set shows a range of device properties that can be tuned externally without any genetic alteration. We also discuss the importance of quantitative cellular contexts in designing such systems. The talk indicates toward the possibility of design based cellular programming.