DNA nanotechnology rendez-vous with syntetic biology

by Jerzy Kozyra

16:00 (40 min) in CT 7.01

Introduced by Paul Rothemund almost a decade ago, DNA origami is a powerful method of matter arrangement in bionanotechnology. It enables the self-assembly of arbitrary nano-structures using a long viral "scaffold" DNA molecule and multiple short oligonucleotide "staples". Despite its obvious advantages and many exciting applications, one of the factors limiting the size, complexity and applicability of DNA origami is the use of scaffolds of biological origin.

In this presentation I will introduce a strategy for generating de novo synthetic sequences which are uniquely addressable and biologically inert. I will follow up with some preliminary experimental results and conclude with the potential future of this exciting research area. Footnote: you may also witness a magic trick!