Tohoku University and Kyoto University researchers developed a DNA-based molecular processor capable of independently assembling and disassembling molecular robots.
This novel and fascinating technology represents a significant step toward self-driving molecular systems, which could be employed in health and nanotechnology.
(Photo: Unsplash/ Hal Gatewood)
A New DNA-based Molecular Controller
The new molecular controller is made up of DNA molecules and enzymes that were created in a lab. Shin-ichiro M. Nomura, the study co-author and associate professor at Tohoku University's Graduate School of Engineering, said that their processor can work with molecular robots and control them by making specific DNA molecules.
He said this feature lets the molecular robots put themselves together and take themselves apart without any help from outside sources. Nomura stressed how vital this independence is, especially in places where outside messages can't get through.
The research team, which included Akira Kakugo from Kyoto University, Kohei Nishiyama from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, and Ibuki Kawamata from Kyoto University's Graduate School of Science, worked on making molecular robots that could work inside and outside the body to treat and diagnose diseases. In the past, Kakugo and his team worked on swarm-type molecular robots that needed to be put together and taken apart by someone else. With the new molecular driver, these robots can now follow instructions independently.
To start the process, the controller sends out a DNA signal in the same order as the "assemble" order. Microtubules that have been changed with DNA and moved by kinesin molecular motors pick up this signal, line up their movements, and link together into a structure.
After that, the manager sends a "disassemble" signal, separating the microtubule bundles. The circuit of molecules controls this dynamic adaption, which functions as a sophisticated signal processor. One does not need to control the robots outside the system because the driver is integrated into them. Thus, it is both more flexible and efficient.
Possible Uses and Hopes for the Road Ahead
As this technology improves, more complicated and advanced autonomous molecular systems will likely become possible. Molecular robots can put themselves together, take themselves apart in order, and do things that single robots can't do independently.
This includes looking for destinations and doing complicated tasks in various settings. Molecular robots can do more when combining different molecular groups, like the DNA circuit and motor protein control systems.
Nomura emphasized how vital this progress is and said that he thinks that swarm molecular robots will be able to process a broader range of biomolecular information on their own once the molecular controller is combined with more complex and precise DNA circuits, molecular information amplification devices, and advanced biomolecular design technologies. This new idea could change nanotechnology and medicine in a big way. It could lead to intelligent drug delivery systems and nanomachines that can recognize and diagnose molecules in real-time.
The full results of this critical discovery were released in the magazine Science Advances on May 31, 2024. DNA-based molecular controllers could make self-driving molecular robots, significantly affecting health, nanotechnology, and other fields. Controlling these robots' assembly and disassembly is a big step forward. It brings us closer to making advanced, intelligent systems that can do complicated jobs independently.
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