Made from strands of DNA, this ‘plane’ is 1000 times smaller than the width of a human hair. Credit: Ohio State University
More complex devices can be created with new software.
One day, scientists believe, small DNA-based robots and other nano-devices deliver drugs into our bodies, detect the presence of deadly pathogens and help manufacture increasingly smaller electronics.
Researchers have taken a big step toward that future by developing a new tool that can design far more complex DNA robots and nano-devices than ever before in a fraction of the time.
In a paper published April 19, 2021 in the journal Natural materials, Ohio State University researchers – led by former engineering doctoral student Chao-Min Huang – have unveiled new software they call MagicDNA.
The software will help researchers design ways to take tiny strands of DNA and combine them into complex structures with parts such as rotors and hinges that can move and perform a variety of tasks, including administering drugs.
This video shows a DNA nano device made to look like a moving airplane. The “plane” is 1000 times smaller than the width of a human hair. Credit: Ohio State University
Researchers have been doing this for a number of years using slower tools with tedious manual steps, said Carlos Castro, study co-author and associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at the state of Ohio.
“But now nanodevices that may have taken us several days to design now only take a few minutes,” said Castro.
And now researchers can create much more complex – and useful – nanodevices.
“Previously, we could build devices with up to six separate components and connect them with joints and hinges and try to make them perform complex movements,” said study co-author Hai-Jun Su, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Ohio State. .
“With this software it is not difficult to make robots or other devices with more than 20 components that are much easier to control. It’s a huge step in our ability to design nanodevices that can perform the complex actions we want them to do. “
A robotic arm nanodevice with a claw that can pick up smaller items. Credit: Ohio State University
The software has a number of benefits that will help scientists design better, more helpful nanodevices and, researchers hope, shorten the time before they are used on a daily basis.
An advantage is that it enables researchers to actually execute the entire design in 3D. Previous design tools only allowed creation in 2D, forcing researchers to map their creations in 3D. That meant designers couldn’t make their devices too complex.
The software also allows designers to build DNA structures “bottom to top” or “top to bottom”.
In “bottom-up” design, researchers take individual strands of DNA and decide how to organize them into the desired structure, allowing fine control over the local device structure and properties.
But they can also take a “top-down” approach, where they decide how to geometrically shape their overall device and then automate how the DNA strands are put together.
Combining the two increases the complexity of the overall geometry while maintaining precise control over the properties of the individual components, Castro said.
Another important element of the software is that it allows simulations of how designed DNA devices would move and work in the real world.
“If you make these structures more complex, it is difficult to predict exactly what they will look like and behave,” said Castro.
“It is critical to be able to simulate how our devices will actually work. Otherwise we will waste a lot of time. “
As a demonstration of the software’s capability, co-author Anjelica Kucinic, a doctoral student in chemical and biomolecular engineering at Ohio State, led the researchers in creating and characterizing many of the nanostructures designed by the software.
Some of the devices they made included robotic arms with claws that can pick up smaller objects and a 100-nanometer structure that looks like an airplane (the ‘airplane’ is 1,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair).
The ability to create more complex nanodevices means they can do more useful things and even perform multiple tasks with one device, Castro said.
For example, it is one thing to have a DNA robot that can detect a specific pathogen after being injected into the bloodstream.
“But a more complex device can not only detect that something bad is going on, but can also respond by releasing a drug or capturing the pathogen,” he said.
“We want to be able to design robots that respond in a certain way to a stimulus or move in a certain way.”
Castro said he expects the MagicDNA software to be used in universities and other research labs in the coming years. But its uses could expand in the future.
“There is growing commercial interest in DNA nanotechnology,” he said. “I think we will see commercial applications of DNA nanodevices in the next five to ten years and we are optimistic that this software can help.”
Reference: “Integrated Computer Aided Engineering and Design for DNA Assemblies” by Chao-Min Huang, Anjelica Kucinic, Joshua A. Johnson, Hai-Jun Su, and Carlos E. Castro, April 19, 2021, Natural materials
Joshua Johnson, who received her PhD in biophysics from Ohio State, also co-authored the paper.
The research was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation.