Self-Assembling Nanodevices

Researchers at Harvard's Wyss Institute have found a way of creating a self-assembling nanodevice that not only works, but can change shape on command. They are made up of DNA which makes it very applicable to medical usage because the DNA is biocompatible and biodegradable. A mix of single strand and double stranded alpha helix structures are used to make up the self-assembling nanostructures. Don Ingber, one of the main contributors to this project said "this new self-assembly based nanofabrication technology could lead to nanoscale medical devices and drug delivery systems, such as virus mimics that introduce drugs directly into diseased cells." The next step in research for these nanodevices is the delivery of chemicals for differentiation in stem cells.

I found this research in the field of nanodevices interesting because it is on the leading edge of discovery, but also because it is quite relevant to our project that we are working on in class. This shows that the relevance and actuality of our project will soon become a reality. This shows that the projects we do now could one day become a widely usable device and could save lives.


http://insciences.org/article.php?article_id=9205

Max Cadena