DNA-based material with tunable properties
Published Date: 5/28/2021
Source: phys.org
While DNA is often idealized as the "molecule of life," it is also a highly sophisticated polymer that can be used for next-generation materials. Beyond the fact that it can store information, further fascinating aspects of DNA are its geometric and topological properties, such as knotting and super-coiling. Indeed, very much like a twisted telephone cord, DNA is often found coiled up inside bacteria and other cells and even knotted in viruses. Now, a collaboration of scientists from the Universities of Edinburgh, San Diego and Vienna have started to harness these properties to craft "topologically tunable" DNA-based complex fluids and soft materials with potential applications in drug delivery and tissue regeneration as published in Science Advances.