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Scientists from the Wyss Institute at Harvard University, including William Shih, Pheng Yin and Shawn Douglas, are researching the different shapes that can be created with DNA origami. Their hopes are that "these incredibly tiny forms could carry cancer drugs deep inside the body or work as cogs in a molecular machine". These scientists believe they could make the best use of the DNA origami technique by experimenting and developing expertise in shape creation and variety, which includes 3D-shapes such as an icosahedron, and twisted and curved shapes. Their short term goal is to "make increasingly complex shapes, improve their fabrication methods, and develop new applications for their nanoscale parts." One of the scientists, William Shih, states, "We'd like to be able to approach the efficiency with which viruses deliver their cargo to cells, but do it in a safer way." Furthermore, the Wyss Institute is exploring if the nanomaterials created by DNA origami "might be useful for drug delivery or regenerative-medicine applications."
This animation by Shawn Douglas, one of the scientists from Wyss Institute, shows how DNA origami forms structures.
Some of the structures that the Wyss Institute have been experimenting with are shown in this image.
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have collaborated with Finland's Aalto University to conduct a study where 3D DNA origami structures do not need high concentrations of magnesium salt, meaning that they are able to tolerate the low salt concentrations inside the body. This new discovery "opens the way for completely new biological applications of DNA nanotechnology". The team uses a 3D printer for nanoscale structures to build "a ball, spiral, rod and bottle-shaped structure, and a DNA printout of the so-called Stanford Bunny, which is a common test model for 3D modelling." Dr. Högberg explains, "For biological applications, the most crucial difference is that we can now create structures that can be folded in, and remain viable in, physiological salt concentrations that are more suitable for biological applications of DNA nanostructures."
In addition, researchers at the Karolinska Institutet used DNA origami structures learn more "about the EphA2 receptor, which is significant in several forms of cancer." This recepter plays a part in many cancers such as breast cancer. The researcher use the DNA origami structures to see how the "distance between different ligands (the protein that communicates with the recepter) affects the level of activity in the communicating receptor of adjacent cells." Dr. Högberg says, "For the very first time, we have been able to prove this hypothesis: the activity of the EphA2 is influenced by how closely spaced the ligans are on the surrounding cells... we have developed a method for examining how cells react to nearby cells in a controlled environment, using our custom DNA nano-calipers."
caDNAno is "an open-source software package with a graphical user interface that aids in the design of DNA sequences for folding 3D honeycomb-pleated shapes." With caDNAno, the effort to design DNA origami structures is significantly reduced and simplified. It provideds tools to create complicated designs from the deviations of the honeycomb architecture as well as the rectangular blocks. Furthermore, it has significantly reduced the time needed for the monotonous sequence assignment down to a few hours, rather than days or weeks.
This image shows what the software looks like and how it works.
Individuals
Paul W. K. Rothemund
Paul Rothemund is a Research Professor at California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
In 2006, Rothemund created a method that manipulates DNA where nanoscale shapes and patterns are made using DNA, called DNA origami. This method can create many different shapes, including smiley faces, stars, etc. and could "serve as scaffolds or miniature circuit boards for the precise assembly of computer chip components." Not only did Rothemund establish DNA origami, he also formed many resolutions to the problems that have risen in the process of DNA origami. For example, to eliminate the problem where the DNA structures stick to random surfaces, Rothemund and his colleagues developed a way "to line them up like little ducks in a row" which precisely positions the structures on a surface.
Ares Rosakis who is the chair of the Caltech's Division of Engineering and Applied Science, states, "Rothemund and his colleagues have removed a key barrier to the improvement and advancement of computer chips. They accomplished this through the revolutionary approach of combining the building blocks for life with the building blocks for computing."
Ruthemund further explains his expertise in DNA origami in his TED talks:
Hendrik Dietz
Dr. Hendrik Dietz is a professor at the Technical University of Munich in Germany (TUM).
Dr. Hendrik Dietz has developed a method that speeds up the process of and improves the accuracy of DNA origami. Dietz and his colleagues have figured out how temperature affects the speed of DNA origami. "It turns out that almost for the entire temperature range, nothing happens," says Dietz. However, the structures form when a crucial temperature is reached. In his research of 19 different DNA shapes, "each shape folded in a specific narrow temperature range somewhere between 45°C and 60 °C." Each shape corresponded to a specific temperature, for instance longer binding stranded shapes folded at higher temperatures. He tested this out and his results has a high yield.
His discovery that makes DNA origami fold quicker and more efficiently has benefitted many other scientists that are also researching DNA origami, such as William Shih at Wyss Institute.
Dietz next goals is to "design nanostructures with optimal folding temperatures close to 37 °C, the temperature at which mammalian cell cultures are grown, so that DNA machines could one day be used in biological settings."
Dr. Dietz is interviewed about DNA Origami:
Erik Winfree
Erik Winfree is a professor of Computer Science, Computation and Neural Systems, and Bioengineering.
Erik Winfree has eliminated the problem of the scaling of DNA origami by starting the algorithmic self-assembly of tiles. With these tiles, it could create much bigger things than DNA origami could otherwise. For example, when DNA origami is conbined with these tiles, it is able to use hundreds of DNA strands while DNA origami could only use a few strands on its own. The tiles form a checkerboard pattern and has a binary counter. Its molecular program knows when it stops growing.