A research team led by Professor Do-Nyeon Kim of our department has developed a technology that can transform nano-sized DNA like origami.

The results of this study were published the cover of the international journal Nature the 6th.

There is probably noe who has not made a crane or an airplane with origami as a child. Recently, attempts to incorporate origami into science have been steadily continuing. The most representative field is aerospace. The solar panel of an artificial satellite, which must be folded and unfolded atce, is a representative example of the application of the principle of origami.

A research team in Korea has realized origami at the level of a nanometer (1 nm is 1 billionth of a meter), which is aboute-hundred-thousandth the size of a human hair. On the 6th, the research team of Professor Do-Nyeon Kim announced that they have succeeded in developing deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) nanotechnology that "We succeeded in developing deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) nanotechnology that can fold or unfold a single structure into various shapes based the principle of origami". The research results were published the same day as a cover paper in the international journal 'Nature'.

The research team explains that it can be used for disease diagnosis by designing DNA to be folded into different shapes according to microribonucleic acid (miRNA) related to the disease. It is evaluated as a technology that can have a great ripple effect in the field of nanobio, such as nanorobots, in the future.

Functional nanostructures have the ability to change their shape in response to external stimuli. It is receiving a lot of attention because it can be used in various fields such as drug delivery and molecular diagnosis. In particular, when nanotechnology is applied to DNA, it is possible to precisely create nanostructures having desired shapes and properties can be accurately made using the self-assembly properties of DNA.

The problem is that it is not easy to transform nano-sized DNA structures into desired shapes.
Previous studies havely allowed DNA nanostructures to be transformed by introducing mechanical elements such as hinges and joints.



How can we make origami using DNA? According to the explanation of Professor Do-Nyeon Kim's research team, first, a two-dimensional lattice structure in the form of an origami pattern is created using several short single-stranded DNA. It's like drawing a fold paper. The researchers named this structural agent DNA wireframe paper. By inserting a DNA strand that can fold or unfold a specific part of the DNA wireframe paper, it can be transformed into a desired shape, just like origami.
DNA wireframe paper can be transformed into shapes depending the type of stimulus. It can be also modified by combining molecules such as DNA or RNA, or by environmental changes such as acidity (pH) or ultraviolet light. The researchers explained that DNA wireframe paper can be designed to fold into different shapes depending the type of microRNA involved in the disease.

Professor Do-nyeon Kim said, "When micro RNA related to Alzheimer's disease enters, a diagnosis can be made if the DNA wireframe paper is folded in a specific direction.”, adding “Early diagnosis or detection of the cause of the disease will be possible."

The research team expects that the technology developed this time can be used for nanosensors or nanorobots for drug delivery. However, further research is needed to make it more practical.

Professor Do-Nyeon Kim said, "This study showed the functionality that origami technology can be applied to even at the nanoscale." and, "If the technology is expanded and developed by the design of a three-dimensional structure in the future, a multifunctional nanostructure that can perform various functions in response to various stimuli can also be developed."

This research was conducted as part of the Ministry of Science and ICT's science challenge convergence R&D project.

Origami with nanoscale DNA… “Use for disease diagnosis and nanorobots” - Chosun Biz (chosun.com)