Scientists Make DNA Into Moving Part for Tiny Chemical ‘Machines’

Scientists have made a moving part out of a few strands of DNA, a step toward building incredibly tiny “machines” that could someday perform intricate jobs like building computer circuits and clearing clogged blood vessels in the brain. The hinge-like part, which bends on cue, is 0.0004 of the width of a human hair.

The new work is not the first time scientists have turned chemical compounds into moving parts. But previous examples have been hampered by their floppy nature. The DNA device, however, is particularly rigid and executes motions 10 times bigger than previous devices, Nadrian C. Seeman and his colleagues at New York University report in today’s issue of the journal Nature.

The device was made by joining two double-stranded DNA spirals with a bridge of DNA. When it is exposed to a particular chemical solution, part of the structure bends.

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Compiled by Times medical writer Thomas H. Maugh II