Programmable DNA-based switches and nanomachines for sensing and drug delivery applications

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Over the course of millions of years, living organisms have developed ingenious "nanomachines": entities that act like "green" technology on the scale of a nanometer (one-millionth of a millimetre). These nanoscopic machines allow an organism to produce and store clean energy, as well as create molecular systems that detect and protect it from toxic substances, tumors, viruses and bacteria. Dr. Vallée-Bélisle wants to reveal the secrets behind these nanomachines, opening the door to the creation of revolutionary nanotechnologies that could have a major impact on global health and the environment. Dr. Vallée-Bélisle's research program aims at integrating research efforts from various scientific fields (chemistry, biochemistry, electrical and biomedical engineering, and medicine) to develop bio-nanotechnologies that will have an unprecedented impact on global health. More specifically, his laboratory will continue to characterize the mechanisms of natural nanomachines by exploring the thermodynamic and kinetic basis of various of its activation/regulation mechanisms (PROJECT I). This work aims to understand nanomachines via a "synthetic biology" approach by recreating them using DNA chemistry, a highly "programmable" polymers. These fundamental studies provide the basic rules for the design of efficient artificial nanomachines. Other specific objectives of this discovery grant include the design of a wide variety of artificial DNA switches and nanomachines for molecular sensing and medical diagnosis (PROJECT II) as well as programmable nanomachines for targeted drug delivery (chemotherapy or gene therapy) (PROJECT III), which enable improved treatments with reduced side effects.