Tools For Building Artificial Biological Nanostructures

Biological nanostructures and nanomachines encompass a wide range of natural assemblies from the smallest prokaryotes to viruses, enzymes, and subcellular compartments. Their capabilities are impressive, including replication, locomotion, and catalysis. To be able to design and produce modified or wholly artificial versions of such systems using biological molecules (proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids) is a long-term goal of engineering biology. However, their complexity makes the design and prediction of their properties challenging, while production, purification, and testing can also be difficult. In recent years, new approaches have been developed to facilitate these processes. Here, we review tools for designing biological molecules, highlighting their capabilities and giving examples of their successful application. Finally, we present possible capabilities of future tools and challenges to their development.