Joe Caspermeyer, Media Relations Manager & Science Editor
(480) 727-0369 | joseph.caspermeyer@asu.edu
The twisting, ladder-like structure of DNA is one the most recognizable icons in all of biology. Now, Biodesign Institute researcher Hao Yan is becoming a virtual Frank Lloyd Wright of DNA architecture, fashioning nature’s molecule of life as a buttress to further advances in nanotechnology aimed at improving human health.
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Self-assembled DNA structures at 500 nanometers with a close-up of a single structure (top left inset). Biodesign researcher Hao Yan is developing DNA structures to serve as a backbone for nanoelectronics and human health applications.
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“We are starting with an idea and structure from biology and trying to apply DNA as a nano-scale building material,” said Yan. “We can build beautiful structures, but people have been wondering, what is the point? Our approach is to take advantage of the programmable interactions of DNA and use DNA as a scaffold for applications such as biosensors or understanding the basic molecule interactions that cause disease.”
Yan, a member of the Center for Single Molecule Biophysics within ASU’s Biodesign Institute and assistant professor in the department of chemistry and biochemistry, is the recipient of a five-year $400,000 CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for a project entitled: “DNA Directed Self-Assembly of Multicomponent Nanoarchitectures.” NSF’s highly prestigious CAREER Awards are given to only a very select group of young scientists deemed to be leaders in their respective fields.
"Hao Yan is one of the brightest young researchers in the very fast moving, contemporary area of DNA nanotechnology,” said Robert Blankenship, chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at ASU. “His CAREER award is well-deserved and indicates that his work has already made a significant impact in this competitive area of science."
Yan’s self-assembled DNA structures are providing the foundation for the burgeoning science of nanoarchitecture — molecular scale DNA origami — for folding DNA into a broad range of technological applications important for human health and bio-electronic sensing devices. To do so, Yan has taken advantage of the basic pairing rules of the four letters, “A,” “G,” “C,” and “T” in the DNA chemical alphabet (“A” can only pair with “T” and “G” only pair with “C”). By controlling the exact position and location of the chemical bases within a synthetic replica of DNA, Yan can potentially fashion an unlimited variety of DNA assemblies.
Stuart Lindsay, director of the Center for Single Molecule Biophysics at the institute, has created a multidisciplinary research team that has been instrumental in helping Yan, who joined ASU as an assistant professor in 2004, to focus on application-based outcomes for his research.
“Hao Yan is making a unique contribution to nanoscience with his creative approach to making nanostructures,” said Lindsay. “He was already very productive before he joined our center, but he has now focused his work on applications, something that other workers in the field had not done much about. One example is the highly dense arrays of diagnostic probes that we are developing. We hope they will revolutionize the way in which protein and gene expression is analyzed in single cells.”
Yan’s research will also move beyond the walls of the Biodesign Institute. Another vital component of his research award is to engage the Greater Phoenix community with hands-on experience in nanotechnology. An initial partnership has been established between Yan’s research team and Chandler High School to foster future DNA nanoarchitects. Part of the award will focus on science dissemination by bringing fun and exciting scientific experimental modules in DNA-based nanotechnology. Further outreach efforts include expanding efforts to additional Valley area high schools, providing classroom support to teachers, and creating a web-based, how-to handbook of protocols.
