DNA 'computers' could lead to self-activated smart pills

Imagine a pill that knew if you were ill enough to need drugs, and wouldn't release chemicals if it thought you didn't need it. That's the breakthrough that's been made at Eindhoven University in the Netherlands by a team of researchers ld by Maarten Merkx. The team has harnessed the power of DNA itself to form an organic computer that performs crude calculations on the state of your health. When you get ill, or suffer from a chronic condition, doctors normally prescribe drugs to help you get better, but this is based on a set of generic guidelines. The idea is that a smart pill will be able to offer specific doses, tailored to your needs, reducing the risk of side effects and waste.