Scientists Fold DNA into Nanoscale “Origami”

Scientists at the Technische Universität München (TUM) and Harvard University have built complex nanoscale structures from DNA. Image courtesy of H. Dietz, TUM

Researchers at the Technische Universität München (TUM) and Harvard University have reported a series of experiments in which they folded DNA, origami-like, into a series of nanoscale  three-dimensional objects. “Our goal was to find out whether we could program DNA to assemble into shapes that exhibit custom curvature or twist, with features just a few nanometers wide,” says biophysicist Hendrik Dietz, a professor at the TUM. Dietz’s collaborators in these experiments were Professor William Shih and Dr. Shawn Douglas of Harvard University. “It worked,” he says, “and we can now build a diversity of three-dimensional nanoscale machine parts, such as round gears or curved tubes or capsules. Assembling those parts into bigger, more complex and functional devices should be possible.”

DNA has the advantages of being a well-understood material, thanks to decades of research, and an attractive engineering material because it enables complex molecular structures to be construced using self-assembly. Dietz, Douglas and Shih directed DNA strands to form custom bundles of cross-linked double helices. By targeting insertions or deletions of base pairs, the researchers were able to make the DNA strands form twists or curves. The scientists were able to specify a radius or curvature as small as 6 nm. The researchers were able to imbue the shapes with rigidity by using bundles of helices.

More information on the research is available from Physics World.

Tags: DNA, Harvard University, nanotechnology, Technische Universität München, TUM