DNA Fabricator Constructs Walking DNA
23 January 2008, 17:00
Categories: molecular-machines--devices bionanotech--nanobiotech
The goal of being able to program biochemical reactions as precisely and easily as computers crunch numbers and process words has moved a giant step closer. A group at the California Institute of Technology, led by biomolecular engineer Niles Pierce, has created a DNA-based fabricator. This is a system that allows the team to specify a piece of DNA with a desired shape and function, and then execute a molecular program to assemble it in a test tube. As an example, they used their system to construct a piece of DNA that walks along another strip of DNA.
“It’s great work,” says computer scientist Erik Winfree, who is also at based Caltech, but was not involved with the work. “What’s remarkable is that it develops a general way of creating a very diverse set of chemical reaction pathways. It opens a lot of doors.”
Posted by: The Editors
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