Strong, stable DNA tetrahedra made quickly with high yield
Belle Dume writes at PhysicsWeb: “A simple method to create robust DNA “pyramids” that self-assemble in seconds has been invented by physicists in the UK. Each side of the tetrahedral pyramid is made up of a double helix of DNA…t creates nanoscale tetrahedra of DNA that self-assemble in a single step in just seconds with a yield of up to 95%…
” “These atomically precise nanostructures are ideal building blocks for nanofabrication and can be produced cheaply in large quantities – all you have to do is mix the components together.”…
” “”We have designed a family of DNA tetrahedra which are structurally stable and can be manufactured in a quick and simple step,” adds Turberfield. “Ultimately we hope to use them as building blocks for nanofabrication, to act as templates for much more complex DNA nanostructures.” ” (Credit: John Faith)
December 13th, 2005 at 8:29 AM
This is incredible news and a major step forward.
I would like to learn more about what it takes to get the 95% to 99.99% and
thoughts, feel free to contact me.
December 13th, 2005 at 9:36 PM
Will this help in the creation of some rudimentary inert virus, that can be used to place some important genetic modulational structure , produced by genetic engineers, into the body of any organism?. What is the level of stability of these structures?….. Any way… good job. I’ll like to know more…
December 14th, 2005 at 1:46 AM
what are the benefits that we can get by synthesizing such ‘complex DNA nanostructures’?is this going to provide cheaper and effective medicines than today?
please provide me the knowledge of ‘scope of these nanostructures’ for humans, and animals and plants in general
December 16th, 2005 at 4:31 PM
Is it to be assumed that these are primarily “scaffolds” to be used to build up other structures?
December 26th, 2005 at 10:15 AM
This sounds like nano-hype. Anyone with a knowledge of DNA hydrogen bonding and structure, or familiar with Nadrian Seemans work, would recognize that you can build self-assembling structures out of DNA. The yields are a function of how carefully you control the DNA sequences to avoid mismatched pairing as the self-assembly takes place. It is highly questionable as to whether you can use such structures as scaffolds for other work. The easy locations to vary in the DNA chemical structure are the specific bases which are within the structure itself. The DNA backbone is going to be on the outside of the structure and it is going to be much less easy to vary that and still build something.
I question whether many things you will see published regarding nanoscale self-assembly will be able to pass the “non-obvious” test at the patent level. They might get by a patent examiner who is unfamiliar with the technology but I find it doubtful that they would stand up in court. (But bear in mind I am not a patent expert.)
This gets a “yawn” from me, rather than a “That is *really* cool!”