DNA Rafts: An Information Processing Pathway for Synthetic Immunity

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The need for technologies with the ability to reliably detect and respond to the presence of molecular agents is now more pressing than ever. Humankind has developed and relied on technologies capable of identifying cues associated to disease pathways, as well for the timely identification of allergens, and even for pinpointing the presence of pollutants. In particular, the current global situation has highlighted the importance of rapid and low-cost viral detection devices with the ability to help in managing public health threats. Biological systems have evolved over billions of years to reliably perform these tasks. I thus propose to use them as an inspiration to develop an innovative platform for sensing. By borrowing tools from physics, chemistry, and bioengineering, I will create artificial cells, bio-inspired systems constructed from elementary molecular constituents, with the ability to identify and respond to the presence of viruses. For this purpose, I will engineer responsive architectures with synthetic DNA molecules, dubbed DNA receptors, which can detect environmental "messages" and trigger a response in the synthetic cells. With such a strategy, I will develop a technology capable of identifying the presence of viruses and initiate responses to neutralise them and inhibit viral infection. Therefore, it is likely to find application in the clinical realm for smart diagnosis and therapeutics, as synthetic compartments with immune-cell functionalities.