DNA CUBES

In 1952, Erwin Chargaff discovered the base-pair binding “rules” which provided a key clue to Watson and Crick about the structure of DNA. Now, researchers at Harvard’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering have found a way to create self assembling structure in the body based on complementary DNA sequences coated on micron-sized hydrogel “bricks.”  As Chargaff showed, A’s bind to T’s, C’s to G’s; so sequence-coated hydrogels might be used as a surgical glue or formed into cubes, squares, chains or T-shaped structures for “inspired” bioengineering.   MORE

Image Credit: Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard