Home > News > DNA origami gets into the fold of drug delivery: Using DNA building blocks that can be manipulated into many complex shapes, scientists are hoping to develop 'nanorobots' that could potentially deliver drugs to target cancer cells
May 14th, 2012
DNA origami gets into the fold of drug delivery: Using DNA building blocks that can be manipulated into many complex shapes, scientists are hoping to develop 'nanorobots' that could potentially deliver drugs to target cancer cells
Abstract:
While scientists have long been reading and manipulating DNA, they are now using it as a construction material. By folding the famous "molecules of life" into intricate contortions, they can build sculptures just nanometres in size. "We use DNA the way a carpenter uses wood," says Paul Rothemund from the California Institute of Technology, who invented the technique, and gave it its name: DNA origami. Although still in its infancy, this practice is already providing scientists with custom-made tools for biological research. Eventually, it might even be used to create containers for packaging and releasing medical drugs.
The technique exploits the fact that DNA's four building blocks - known as bases - naturally pair up with one another. Adenine (A) sticks to thymine (T), and cytosine (C) sticks to guanine (G). If you get the letters right, you can create molecules that zip up in very precise ways.
Source:
guardian.co.uk
Bookmark:
| Related News Press |
News and information
Gene therapy relieves back pain, repairs damaged disc in mice: Study suggests nanocarriers loaded with DNA could replace opioids May 17th, 2024
Oscillating paramagnetic Meissner effect and Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition in cuprate superconductor May 17th, 2024
Self Assembly
Diamond glitter: A play of colors with artificial DNA crystals May 17th, 2024
Liquid crystal templated chiral nanomaterials October 14th, 2022
Nanoclusters self-organize into centimeter-scale hierarchical assemblies April 22nd, 2022
Atom by atom: building precise smaller nanoparticles with templates March 4th, 2022
Nanomedicine
Diamond glitter: A play of colors with artificial DNA crystals May 17th, 2024
Advances in priming B cell immunity against HIV pave the way to future HIV vaccines, shows quartet of new studies May 17th, 2024
New micromaterial releases nanoparticles that selectively destroy cancer cells April 5th, 2024
Discoveries
Diamond glitter: A play of colors with artificial DNA crystals May 17th, 2024
Finding quantum order in chaos May 17th, 2024
Advances in priming B cell immunity against HIV pave the way to future HIV vaccines, shows quartet of new studies May 17th, 2024
Announcements
Diamond glitter: A play of colors with artificial DNA crystals May 17th, 2024
Finding quantum order in chaos May 17th, 2024
Oscillating paramagnetic Meissner effect and Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition in cuprate superconductor May 17th, 2024
Nanobiotechnology
Diamond glitter: A play of colors with artificial DNA crystals May 17th, 2024
Advances in priming B cell immunity against HIV pave the way to future HIV vaccines, shows quartet of new studies May 17th, 2024
New micromaterial releases nanoparticles that selectively destroy cancer cells April 5th, 2024
Good as gold - improving infectious disease testing with gold nanoparticles April 5th, 2024
 |
||
 |
||
| The latest news from around the world, FREE | ||
 |
||
|
|
||
| Premium Products | ||
 |
||
|
Only the news you want to read!
Learn More |
||
 |
||
|
Full-service, expert consulting
Learn More |
||
|
|
||