Computer Modeling of the Properties, Interactions and Reactions of Natural and Modified DNA

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The unique structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), which contains the genetic makeup of living organisms, provides a useful template from which to design and build innovative molecules with important applications in science. Indeed, modified DNA pieces have been designed for, and are used in, medicine (drugs that bind to regions in DNA responsible for disease), biotechnology (bioprobes used to study the structure and function of enzymes) and nanotechnology (DNA mediated synthesis of materials and devices on the nanoscale). Despite these useful applications, modified DNA is detrimental when formed within cells, where DNA damage can be formed due to external forces (X-rays, UV light) or internal processes (replication errors, lipid peroxidation) and has been linked to diseases such as cancer.