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Challenges and opportunities for structural DNA nanotechnology

Nature Nanotechnology volume 6, pages 763–772 (2011)Cite this article

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Abstract

DNA molecules have been used to build a variety of nanoscale structures and devices over the past 30 years, and potential applications have begun to emerge. But the development of more advanced structures and applications will require a number of issues to be addressed, the most significant of which are the high cost of DNA and the high error rate of self-assembly. Here we examine the technical challenges in the field of structural DNA nanotechnology and outline some of the promising applications that could be developed if these hurdles can be overcome. In particular, we highlight the potential use of DNA nanostructures in molecular and cellular biophysics, as biomimetic systems, in energy transfer and photonics, and in diagnostics and therapeutics for human health.

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Figure 1: Examples of structural DNA nanotechnology.
Figure 2: Challenges for DNA nanostructures.
Figure 3: DNA nanotechnology for biophysical studies.
Figure 4: DNA nanostructures as biomimetic and in vivo active systems.
Figure 5: DNA nanotechnology for energy transfer and photonics.
Figure 6: Structural DNA nanotheranostics.

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Acknowledgements

We thank K. Gothelf and T. LaBean for discussions. H.Y. acknowledges funding support from the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the Army Research office, the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of Energy, Sloan Research Fellowship and Arizona State University. W.M.S acknowledges funding support from ONR, NIH, Agilent Technologies and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. We also thank J. Nangreave for proofreading the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Single Molecule Biophysics, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, 85287, Arizona, USA

    Andre V. Pinheiro, Dongran Han & Hao Yan

  2. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Arizona State University, Tempe, 85287, Arizona, USA

    Dongran Han & Hao Yan

  3. Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, 02115, Massachusetts, USA

    William M. Shih

  4. Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, 02115, Massachusetts, USA

    William M. Shih

  5. Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, 02138, Massachusetts, USA

    William M. Shih

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  1. Andre V. Pinheiro
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Correspondence to William M. Shih or Hao Yan.

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Pinheiro, A., Han, D., Shih, W. et al. Challenges and opportunities for structural DNA nanotechnology. Nature Nanotech 6, 763–772 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2011.187

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