Date/Time: 21st of May 2019, 13:00-14:00

Venue: Urban Science Building, room 3.032

Abstract:

DNA nanotechnology has shown that the self-assembly properties of nucleic acids open many possibilities to design molecular devices, including motors and logic circuits.

The fascinating properties of molecular recognition born by aptamers  further stress the potential of DNA-only systems to interface with the non-nucleic acid world, a fact that could be exploited in future DNA based computers.

This talk will focus on three different aspects of the formation of DNA self-assembled structures.

First, I will discuss a simple thermodynamic model that is able to quantitatively describe the formation process of DNA origamis. These structures result from the coordinated assembly of hundreds of short oligos to form nanostructures defined at the nanometer scale.

Second, I will introduce sets of strand displacement reactions on top of these structures to show how appropriate design enhances the interactions between closely positioned oligos.

Finally, I will  consider DNA nanopores in interaction with lipid bilayers and show the possible regulation of the conductivity across these structures in response to specific oligos.