Microswimmers That Flex: Advancing Microswimmers with Templated Assembly and Responsive DNA Nanostructures

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Synthetic Biology

Background:

• Microswimmers, or micrometer-scale robots, show promise for in vivo applications like cargo delivery and diagnostics.
• Current microswimmer designs face challenges in achieving precise control, biocompatibility, and adaptability for complex biological environments.
• DNA nanotechnology offers a pathway to engineer programmable, multifunctional, and responsive microstructures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present advancements in the experimental realization of responsive microswimmers utilizing compliant DNA components.
• To introduce novel fabrication methods addressing manufacturing limitations for flexibly linked microswimmers.
• To explore the potential of DNA nanostructures for enhancing microswimmer functionality and biocompatibility.

Main Methods:

• A hybrid top-down, bottom-up fabrication approach combining templated assembly with DNA nanotechnology.
• Development of a two-photon polymerization (TPP) platform for fabricating customizable millimeter-scale swimmers (milliswimmers).
• Interrogation of hydrodynamic models and design parameters influencing milliswimmer locomotion using the TPP platform.

Main Results:

• Successfully constructed microswimmers with improved structural complexity, particle control, and DNA linkage compliance.
• Fabricated customizable milliswimmers, enabling the isolation of design effects from physical variations.
• Demonstrated a platform for studying microswimmer hydrodynamics and design-actuation relationships.

Conclusions:

• DNA nanostructures provide a versatile route to programmable, multifunctional micro- and nanoscale machines.
• Advanced fabrication techniques enable the creation of microswimmers with enhanced complexity and controlled properties.
• Future work integrating nucleic acids and interfacing with living cells promises fully organic, biocompatible microswimmers for diverse applications.