Biomod/2011/IITM/AcidArtists

"Reversible Collection of Nano-bots"

The project aims at designing a molecular construct consisting of appendages in the form of single stranded DNA molecules which bind with target molecules to form an aggregate that can be filtered from the containing solution. The appendage strands have DNA sequences complementary to those present on the molecules of interest thus enabling binding between them. The construct is designed using caDNAno and single strands are added to it by extending staple strands at specific locations. The aggregate dimensions are sufficient to be filtered by a porosity of 0.2 μm. The binding between molecules is reversible in nature so as to facilitate reuse of molecules thereby enhancing cost effectiveness of the technique. The technique can be incorporated into DNA robotics wherein “nano-bots” can be withdrawn from their environment. The long-term objective of the proposed work is to develop similar DNA-origami constructs capable of high-affinity and high-selectivity bio-molecule targeting in vivo.

Team name: Acid Artists
Institution name and location: Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (Chennai, India)
Faculty mentor: Prof. N. Manoj