Writing memories into cells

Synthetic biologists, treating cells pretty much like computers, have programmed cells to perform specific biochemical tasks by engineering a new memory device that writes into the DNA of the cell directly. The genetic parts needed for turning the cell into a tiny computer that possesses transcriptional logic gates, timers, counters, and so on are already known. Now, memory devices that can directly record into the DNA have been made in the lab by researchers from MIT and Harvard University, in the U.S. The recorded memories could be erased and re-recorded several times. This could come in useful when engineering synthetic cells that can target specific tumours and release site-specific drugs into the body.