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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 13, 2026

Designing a Bio-responsive Robot from DNA Origami

Designing a Bio-responsive Robot from DNA Origami

Published on: July 8, 2013

Dynamic Control of DNA Origami Self-Assembly by Transcriptional Modules.

Lei Zhang¹, Ruojie Sha², Lev Bershadsky¹

¹Department of Physics, New York University, New York, New York 100038, United States.

Journal of the American Chemical Society

|January 7, 2026

Summary

Scientists engineered dynamic synthetic materials using DNA origami tile self-assembly. This nonequilibrium approach enables life-like functions by coupling transcriptional modules to tile assembly, creating responsive and adaptive nanostructures.

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Published on: December 3, 2015

Area of Science:

Synthetic Biology
Nanotechnology
Biophysics

Background:

Biological cells exhibit adaptive behaviors through dynamic self-assembly, driven by environmental information processing.
Current synthetic systems often rely on equilibrium-based responses to external stimuli.
Achieving sustained, life-like processes necessitates nonequilibrium strategies with continuous energy dissipation.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a novel strategy for dynamic control of DNA origami tile self-assembly.
To engineer synthetic materials that exhibit life-like, nonequilibrium behaviors.
To create responsive nanostructures using coupled transcriptional and assembly modules.

Main Methods:

Coupling transcriptional module activity directly to DNA origami tile assembly states.
Utilizing transcriptional activation upon tile dimerization to initiate feedback.
Implementing strand displacement for RNA blocker removal and autonomous feedback loop establishment.

Main Results:

Demonstrated a bistable system using mutually inhibitory tile pairs, switchable via RNA inducers.
Established a dissipative, autonomous feedback loop through transcriptional control of tile disassembly.
Simulations predicted sustained nonequilibrium temporal behaviors like oscillations and pulses.

Conclusions:

Presented a generalizable strategy for dynamic control of DNA origami tile self-assembly.
The approach enables the creation of synthetic materials with life-like, energy-dissipating functions.
Potential applications include nanorobotics, biosensing, biomedicine, and artificial life.