Motion-based DNA detection using catalytic nanomotors

Synthetic nanomotors, which convert chemical energy into autonomous motion, hold considerable promise for diverse applications. In this paper, we show the use of synthetic nanomotors for detecting DNA and bacterial ribosomal RNA in a fast, simple and sensitive manner. The new motion-driven DNA-sensing concept relies on measuring changes in the speed of unmodified catalytic nanomotors induced by the dissolution of silver nanoparticle tags captured in a sandwich DNA hybridization assay. The concentration-dependent distance signals are visualized using optical microscopy, particularly through straight-line traces by magnetically aligned 'racing' nanomotors. This nanomotor biodetection strategy could be extended to monitor a wide range of biomolecular interactions using different motion transduction schemes, thus providing a versatile and powerful tool for detecting biological targets.