November 16, 2012

Artificial ion channels created using DNA origami




Prof. Dr. Friedrich Simmel and PhD student Martin Langecker of Technische Universität München (TUM) at Garching in Germany and their colleagues used a molecular self-assembly technique known as scaffolded DNA origami, in which strands of DNA are folded to create three-dimensional nanoscale structures. The strands are fixed in place by means of paired bases on short strands of DNA, and the base sequences determine exactly where the folds are fixed in place.

Scaffolding DNA origami has been used for several years and was described in this Phy.Org article. DNA origami has even been used to create nanoscale circuit boards, and has found application in cancer research.