DNA-based Modular Nanorobotics
Theranostics is an emerging field that combines the power of diagnostics and therapeutic at the same time. The idea is not completely new, Nuclear Medicine has been using for example radioactive iodine to both image and treat certain types of thyroidal diseases (1), but nanotechnologies have the potential to generate highly controllable systems and expand the therapeutic arsenal of clinicians.
Read More “DNA nanotechnologies: ideal tools for theranostics?”
As we approach the delineated end of this common venture that the ITN network was, all the students involved are starting to work towards the final stretches. Among the issues that require our attention in these coming days, a serious one that has been hanging over me like the proverbial Damocles sword is, and then what?
In this article we show two different approaches to produce linear actuators made from DNA
In all levels of engineering, complex machinery is based on the concerted activity of many different subunits of heterogeneous nature. One of such subunits are the linear actuators we refer to in the title. Basically, a linear actuator is a device or construct capable of producing a motion confined in one axis; this type of devices, as they are currently found in mechanisms and machines, can be as large as the ones found in the hydraulic arm of an excavator or as precise as the piezoelectric actuators capable of movements in the nanometer range.
Hey there! This is Lorena, and in this post I will talk about protein-DNA conjugates, as part of the lecture course 🙂 I have recently been working quite a lot with them, so I am very excited to cover some of their aspects
Proteins have incredible properties nobody else in the bio-world has. Their highly complex tertiary structure and the richness of their chemical groups allows them to bind molecules with high affinity and in a very selective way. They are also able to act as very efficient catalysts, showing high substrate turnover ratios. Thus, it is no surprise that proteins attract a great deal of attention and are in high demand for a lot of applications.
How do you succeed as a scientist? Do you have to be really smart? Well… I would not say it is as much about intelligence as about the ability to keep banging your head against a problem until you happen upon a solution. But it is true, this job does involve a lot of thinking (or at least trying to think), and it is not always easy to stay focused.
DNA-Robotics 