DNA, the blueprint of life, is constantly being used by scientists to surprise us. Now, scientists from the University of Illinois have developed a nanorobotic hand with four fingers by folding a single piece of DNA.
Dubbed the NanoGripper, the tiny DNA-based hand can grab viruses like the ones that caused COVID-19. This method can be used to develop highly sensitive kits for rapid detection. The NanoGripper has also been successfully used to inhibit viral entry into the cell. It is also a candidate for more accurate and precise drug delivery into targeted cells, such as in cancer treatment.
The researchers have drawn inspiration from human hands and bird claws. The fingers have three joints. The bending angles are determined by the design of the scaffolds of the folded DNA. Why was DNA chosen to form the structural unit? As Xing Wang, a professor of bioengineering and chemistry at the University of Illinois, puts it:
- DNA is a soft material, apt for making a nanoscale robot with grabbing functions
- DNA is flexible, strong, and programmable.
The fingers have sensitive regions called aptamers, which recognize the molecular target the NanoGripper is supposed to bind to. Once identified, the fingers bend and wrap around the concerned structure, such as the COVID-19 virus. The aptamers recognized the spike protein of this virus to elicit a bending action of the fingers.
The NanoGripper combined with a sensor to detect the COVID-19 virus has reached the same level of accuracy as the gold-standard qPCR used in hospitals to detect COVID-19.
Once the NanoGripper grabs a virus, a fluorescent substance is triggered to release light when excited by an LED or a laser. Fluorescent signals can accumulate on one virus, helping researchers detect every virus individually.
Alongside diagnosis, NanoGripper can help develop preventive medicine. When added to a cell culture exposed to coronavirus, the NanoGrippers were seen to bind with spike proteins, preventing them from binding to cell receptors and subsequently preventing infection. It can also help in drug delivery, delivering drugs to target cancerous cells in cases of cancer. It can also be used as a nasal spray with antiviral effects resulting from the grabbing action of NanoGrippers.
The NanoGripper technology can be a real game-changer in the world of antiviral and anti-cancer treatments.
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