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March
31, 2003 |
Nature Inspires DNA/Protein Nanoconstructions
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Thomas Griffin |
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A new generation of nanoscale devices are being
developed based on inspiration found in nature. Grazyna Sroga,
a postdoctoral research associate at Rensselaer, is using DNA
and related proteins to construct microscopic structures that
may one day conduct electricity, deliver drugs, boost computer
memory, or sense the presence or absence of chemicals. She is
working in the laboratory of Jonathan Dordick, the Howard P. Isermann
‘42 Professor of Chemical Engineering.
Sroga presented her research at the 225th national
meeting of the American Chemical Society, held March 23-27 in
New Orleans, La.
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When it comes to design,
“it is likely that nature does it better.”
—Grazyna Sroga—
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Dordick and Sroga use a combination of hybrid
proteins to manipulate normally linear DNA strands into unusual
shapes, including three-dimensional cubes. These new shapes can
then be encouraged to self-assemble based on molecular interactions.
The ability of these bio-inspired nanostructures to spontaneously
assemble saves researchers’ time and effort, representing
an advantage over other approaches to nanoproduction that do not
utilize biologic materials.
This research (funded by the Biotech Research
and Development Corporation and the National Science Foundation,
through Rensselaer’s Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center)
is still in its infancy. Constructing new devices based on biological
models, however, may mean that potential pitfalls have already
been worked out over years of natural evolution. When it comes
to design, “it is likely that nature does it better,”
says Sroga. Tools constructed of hybrid biomaterials, for example,
may be hypoallergenic, making medical application of such devices
less likely to lead to rejection by the body’s systems.
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