As big as a virus capsid: dodecahedron built-up from DNA origami building blocks. (Image: Hendrik Dietz / TUM)
Research news - It is the double strands of our genes that make them so strong. Using a technique known as DNA origami, biophysicist Hendrik Dietz has been building nanometer-scale objects for several years at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). Now Dietz and his team have not only broken out of the nanometer realm to build larger objects, but have also cut the production costs a thousand-fold. These innovations open a whole new frontier for the technology. Viruses encapsulate their genetic material in a shell comprising a series of identical protein building blocks. The hepatitis B virus capsule, for example, comprises 180 identical subunits, a typical case of "prefabricated" construction deployed frequently in nature. The team led by Hendrik Dietz, Professor of Biomolecular Nanotechnology at the TU Munich has now transferred viral construction principles to DNA origami technology.
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