Is Quantum Information Approach Suitable For Modelling Genetic Code?

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Elena Fimmel
• Subject Area: Electronic Semiconductors, Components and Circuits, Integrated Systems, Sensor Technology, Theoretical Electrical Engineering ; Bioinformatics and Theoretical Biology
• Term: from 2020 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 453234620

Since the early 1950s, marked by the revolutionary discovery of the double helix structure of DNA by F. Crick and J. Watson, Biology has probably been developing most intensively compared to other natural sciences. A lot of empirical data have already been revealed using increasingly sophisticated methods. In spite of a remarkable progress made during the last century, Theoretical Foundations of Biology still remain in a nascent state, which can be compared with the state of Theoretical Physics before Newton. This is the reason why it is necessary to search for a reliable theoretical basis especially in the modelling of the genetic code. This project aims to show the possibilities of modelling the information content carried by quantum mechanical DNA-molecules by means of the formalism used in quantum informatics. Such modelling would open new options to reveal nature’s information patents and to use them, for instance, in quantum computing and artificial intelligence (A.I.) Moreover, it would give an opportunity to understand the ways of managing information in living organisms. As an empirical base, the open accessible data from GenBank which contains hundreds of millions of long DNA texts collected from thousands of organisms can be used.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Russia
• Cooperation Partner: Professor Sergey Petoukhov, Ph.D.