DNA Origami Can Trap SARS-CoV-2, Influenza A, Zika, and Prevent Them From Infecting Cells

DNA origami can help control the spread of the virus from infecting more cells, according to a new study.

DNA Origami to Prevent Cell Infection

DNA origami was used to engineer strands of genetic material into Lego-like structures that formed a cage around large pathogens. The study details how researchers used this technique. Even though the research only looked at how well the structures bound to viruses in vitro, the traps have the potential to one day assist in eliminating viruses from the human body, The Scientist reported.

Ashwin Gopinath, a biomechanical engineer at MIT who was not involved in the study, referred to the research report as "a fantastic paper." "This is a really interesting physical approach to entrapping viruses," the researcher said.

Hendrick Dietz, a physicist at the Technical University of Munich and one of the study's coauthors, has high hopes that viral traps like these will one day be used to treat viruses of all kinds. There are over 200 different viruses that have been identified. According to him, they only have medication that can treat an acute infection for five percent of those conditions.

The structure of DNA is extremely malleable and modular, which means that with the right sequences, scientists can use it to create a wide variety of structures that can range in both shape and size. The term "DNA origami" was initially coined over a decade ago to describe forming three-dimensional shapes with DNA.

More recently, it has been used to design methods of trapping viruses with antibody-lined shells before they reach their host cells. These methods have been used to design methods of DNA origami.

In previous research, Dietz and his colleagues used techniques from DNA origami to engineering structures that could envelop small viral particles with a diameter of fewer than 85 nanometers, thereby preventing the viral particles from inserting their DNA into their hosts.

Dietz says that he and his team wanted to try to make these cages bigger and more modular because many common and devastating viruses, such as influenza A, Zika, and coronaviruses, have a diameter that is greater than 100 nm and come in a variety of shapes, ranging from peanut-shaped to filamentous. Dietz says this was because these viruses come in various shapes.

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How Did the DNA Origami Work

Using DNA origami, the team designed 2D building blocks in triangles that can be assembled edge to edge, similar to how puzzle pieces fit together. The researchers then confirmed that the triangles assembled into cone-shaped shells with multiple sides using cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM).

After that, the group covered the interior of each shell with substances that bind to viruses, such as antibodies. These shells can wrap themselves around viruses and encase viral particles larger than 100 nanometers in diameter.

This could, in theory, cut the virus off from a potential host cell and prevent infection, but the research team did not test their hypothesis in a clinical setting.

It is important to note that the shells could also be coated with other substances that bind to viruses. In this particular instance, the researchers used a substance known as heparan sulfate, which binds to various viral protein coats.

The study was published on Jan. 18 in Cell Reports Physical Science.