GDCB Seminar: 'Aperiodic crystals, tiny robots, and the meaning of life'
Feb 9, 2021 - 4:10 PM
to Feb 9, 2021 - 5:00 PM
Location
Webex (link below)
See the full event:
Speaker: Eric Henderson, Iowa State University Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology professor
Title: “Aperiodic crystals, tiny robots, and the meaning of life"
Abstract: DNA encodes the fundamental instruction for the design and construction of life on this planet. Beyond the genomic and epigenomic information embedded in DNA, there is a code for engineering the spontaneous construction of nanoscale (and larger) objects with atomic precision. By using the favorable free energy of DNA hybridization and programming the folding of a single-strand of DNA to form a specific nanoscale 3D shape, one may create billions of tiny “nanobots” that carry out a variety of functions: from serving as passive supports or stencils to automated detection of biomarkers to delivery of therapeutic entities to cells in living systems. In this talk, I will review the field, briefly, discuss a self-assembling biosensor we have constructed, and close with a discussion of our current efforts toward production of a tissue-specific gene editor delivery system to treat and cure disease.
Meeting link: https://iastate.webex.com/iastate/j.php?MTID=mb238d165439455f48123c9a3d116aef8