Credit: Shantam Kalra et al.
New research from the universities of Portsmouth and Leicester in the United Kingdom has led to the creation of a novel technique for DNA structure building that could drive advances in drug delivery and disease diagnosis. The technique allows for the customization and strengthening of DNA origami, a common method of creating high-precision nanostructures using DNA strands.
While widely used, DNA origami typically results in delicate structures that easily fall apart in biological conditions. The technique developed by the team of researchers, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, outlines a method to make the structures stronger and more versatile thanks to triplex-directed photo-cross-linking. By modifying the DNA strands, the researchers could add additional nucleotides to serve as attachment points.
"The potential applications of this technique are far-reaching. The ability to tailor DNA origami structures with specific functionalities holds immense promise for advancing medical treatments and diagnostics," said Dr. David Rusling from the University of Portsmouth's School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences. "We envision a future where DNA origami structures could be used to deliver drugs or DNA directly to diseased cells, or to create highly sensitive diagnostic tools."
DNA origami is currently used for a multitude of biomedical applications including vaccines, nanosensors, drug delivery, and structural biology. The researchers believe the new technique developed could expand these applications in a scalable and cost-effective manner as it can work with existing structures without necessitating a scaffold redesign.
"What is really exciting about this technique is that it did not change the underlying origami DNA sequence, offering the ability to use these structures as carriers for synthetic genes," added Rusling.