Researchers at the University of Sydney Nano Institute have made a significant advance in the field of molecular robotics by developing custom-designed and programmable nanostructures using DNA origami. This innovative approach has potential across a range of applications, from targeted drug delivery systems to responsive materials and energy-efficient optical signal processing. The method uses “DNA origami,” so-called as it uses the natural folding power of DNA, the building blocks of human life, to create new and useful biological structures. As a proof-of-concept, the researchers made more than 50 nanoscale objects, including a “nano-dinosaur,” a “dancing robot” and a mini-Australia that is 150 nanometers wide, a thousand times narrower than a human hair. The research is published in Science Robotics. The research, led by first author Dr. Minh Tri Luu and research team leader Dr. Shelley Wickham, focuses on the creation of modular DNA origami “voxels” that can be assembled into complex three-dimensional structures. (Where a pixel is two-dimensional, a voxel is realized in 3D.)

Full research : Researchers have developed custom-designed and programmable nanostructures using DNA origami.

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