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.