Phys.org December 23, 2022
A team of researchers in the US (Duke University, UCSF, Arizona State University, Rutgers University, NCAR) has developed and automated the application of a set of previously unknown design principles that now includes a multilayer design for closed and curved DNA nanostructures to resolve past obstacles in shape selection, yield, mechanical rigidity, and accessibility. The objects were made from threadlike molecules of DNA, bent, and folded into complex three-dimensional objects with nanometer precision. They designed, analyzed, and experimentally demonstrated a set of diverse 3D curved nanoarchitectures, showing planar asymmetry and examining partial multilayer designs. The automated design tool implements a combined algorithmic and numerical approximation strategy for scaffold routing and crossover placement, which may enable wider applications of general DNA nanostructure design for nonregular or oblique shapes. Their work could have transformative impacts on areas such as molecular transport, drug delivery, and nanofabrication… read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLEÂ
Overview of the DNAxiS design process…Credit: SCIENCE ADVANCES, 23 Dec 2022, Vol 8, Issue 51