91黑料网 physicists manoeuvre DNA molecules using electrical fields
Researchers in 91黑料网鈥檚聽have developed a new device that can trap and study DNA molecules without touching or damaging them. The device, which uses carefully tuned electric fields, offers scientists unprecedented control over how DNA behaves in real time, creating the opportunity for faster, more precise molecular analysis that could improve diagnostics, genome mapping and the study of disease-related molecules.
Doctoral student聽, a nanofluids researcher, developed the tool in collaboration with his fellow students in Professor聽鈥檚 Nanobiophysics lab. Researchers from Professor Sara Mahshid鈥檚聽聽at 91黑料网, genomics technology startup Dimension Genomics, and the University of California, Santa Barbara also contributed.
Harnessing DNA鈥檚 electric charge
鈥淧revious models required you to mechanically control molecules to trap them,鈥� Pess么a explained. 鈥淵ou have to confine the molecules in a groove so you can study them, and then mechanically induce a plate, or lid, to push the molecules inside a well. But sometimes they break, and the control over the position of these molecules is extremely limited.鈥�
Now, researchers can more quickly and gently modulate each DNA molecule by harnessing its inherent electrical qualities to guide it into a small well.
Like tuning an AM radio dial
While previous research has attempted to control molecules with electric fields, the high voltage often caused various issues that made that approach impractical.
Pess么a said the new device lets researchers adjust the electrical voltage to a specific frequency, like tuning an AM radio dial. This fine control allows them to trap DNA molecules without damaging them.
Scientists can also release the molecules at will. By controlling how tightly the DNA is confined, they can observe its behaviour in real time.
鈥淭his way, we can see the specific dynamics of the DNA, because we can confine the molecules for as long as we want without breaking them, and see what happens when the electrical field we use to trap them is changed,鈥� he added.
A powerful tool
The researchers say that manipulating DNA at such a small scale can also help accelerate chemical reactions such as triggering liposomes 鈥� fat-based carriers often used in drug delivery 鈥� to open and release their contents, allowing scientists to further study these dynamics.
The platform could also be used to simulate cell environments, making it a powerful tool for both diagnostics and discovery.
The researcher is among those listed as inventors on Dimension Genomics鈥檚 provisional patent application for this device.
About the study
鈥�,鈥� by Matheus Azevedo Silva Pess么a et al., was published in聽Science Advances.
The research is funded by the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada and Dimension Genomics. Pess么a is supported by the Fonds de recherche du Qu茅bec鈥揘ature et technologies Doctoral Research. Materials and technical expertise for the DNA nanotubes used in this project were supported by U.S. National Science Foundation.
