Lab Explores Possibilities of Self-Assembling DNA Nanomachines

What can we learn from DNA molecules’ ability to self-assemble into elaborate – and incredibly tiny – structures? A lab group in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry might develop some answers.

Professor Tao Ye and colleagues are using a $1.18 million Department of Energy grant to fashion these DNA nanostructures into biosensors that have numerous medical applications. But the possibilities don’t stop there. Ye’s lab could expand knowledge about methods that allow DNA molecules to fold themselves into non-biological structures, potentially transforming processes such as energy harvesting and the creation of computer circuits.

“Wouldn’t it be great if molecules and circuit components assembled themselves into devices?” Ye asked. “We want to learn from nature’s tricks to create highly complex and functional biological structures and repurpose self-assembly to create materials to convert energy or create complex circuits.”

So far, many self-assembled structures are too small for such applications, or become defective. Ye and his students have used an atomic force microscope and other nanoscience tools to take snapshots of these self-assembling processes to better understand them. Over the next three years, Ye’s lab will work to figure out why defects happen and how to overcome them.