Author: Kim Berard
When I saw the headline about “DNA flowers,” I was confused. I mean: aren't all flowers made of DNA, like all living things on our planet? Well, it turns out that DNA flowers are actually soft robots—nanobots, that is—so my interest was definitely piqued.
These DNA flowers come from the Freeman Laboratory at the University of North Carolina, led by Dr. Ronit Freeman, and research on them has just been published in nature nanotechnology The title is less than sexy: “Reversible metamorphosis of layered DNA organic crystals.” If I had seen it before “DNA Flower” I probably would have ignored it, so I'm glad someone is paying attention to the marketing.
Designer Daniel Burham famously said, “Don't make small plans,” and I think he would have loved Dr. Freeman. Her resume shows that she has formal training in computer science, chemistry, nanotechnology, and regenerative medicine (even ballroom dancing, if you're counting), all of which she probably needs because her main interest is “supramolecular self-assembly, where common biological materials such as DNA and proteins are viewed not only as information carriers but also as tunable structural materials for next-generation sensors, nanorobots, and drugs.” Breakthroughs and clinical tools. “
So what the lab is now doing is combining DNA with inorganic materials and making them respond to their environment. Professor Freeman said: “We take inspiration from nature's designs, such as blooming flowers or growing tissues, and transform them into technologies that can one day think, move and adapt on their own.”
In fact, Freeman Labs prides itself on “biomimetic technology” with the purpose: “We design active and synthetic materials to accelerate health outcomes for communities around the world.” The website talks about “building block design.” It has the characteristics of hierarchical self-assembly, temporal structure reconstruction and adaptive behavior.
Hence, the flower of DNA.
These flowers are actually shaped like flowers, and although they are small, what makes them both interesting and potentially useful is that different DNA strands allow them to move, open or close, or trigger chemical reactions based on environmental cues such as temperature, acidity, or chemical signals. DNA sequences guide the organization of nanoparticles into complex structures that can twist their shape as needed.
“People would like to have smart capsules that automatically activate the drug when it detects disease and deactivate when it is cured. In principle, this could be achieved with our shape-changing materials,” said Professor Freeman. “In the future, deformed flowers could be designed to be swallowed or implanted to deliver targeted doses of drugs, perform biopsies, or remove blood clots.”
Yes, I would love it and I bet you would too.
The team acknowledges that the technology is still in its early stages, but anticipates that in the future, for example, DNA flowers could be injected into cancer patients, where the flowers would enter tumors, where the acidity of the tumors would cause the petals to release drugs, or even tiny tissue samples to be collected. When the tumor disappears, the DNA flower becomes inactive until/unless a new environmental trigger reactivates it.
Beyond healthcare, the team also believes their creation could help clean up environmental pollution, or serve as an excellent digital storage device – capable of storing up to 2 trillion gigabytes in just one teaspoon.
The fact that the DNA flower is able to sense and respond to its environment leads the team to believe it is an important step toward bridging the gap between living systems and machines. We'll see more of this throughout the rest of the 21st centuryYingshi century.
The Freeman Lab has some lofty ambitions. It hopes to discover “new and creative ways to detect viruses, treat disease, effectively target and deliver payloads, and interface with natural biology.” Its four key ways to achieve this goal are:
Sensing: “Developing rapid testing technologies that are easy to use, site independent, robust in design, and cost-effective to produce.” : “In recognizing, respecting, and studying natural mechanisms, we are able to mimic them to develop effective biotherapeutics and advance biomedical engineering.”
bionics: “In recognizing, respecting and studying natural mechanisms, we are able to mimic them to develop effective biotherapeutics and advance biomedical engineering.”
therapy: “This could involve using an external drug, developing a safe and effective way to deliver that drug to the site of need, or developing a way to program natural biology to reverse the effects of the disease.”
soft matter: “Soft matter is a general term for science covering topics such as textile materials, fluid mechanics, particle distribution, biological materials, and more.”
It's all very cool and thinking about a different future than the past, so kudos to them. DNA flowers aren't the first thing Freeman's lab has done, and I'm pretty sure they won't be the last. I can't wait to see what happens next.
You thought Bill Belichick went to UNC for football…
Kim is a former electronics marketing executive for a large blues program and editor of The Late and Regretful tincture.ionow a regular THCB contributor
