COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: DNA Self-Assembly -- Experimentation and Theoretical Foundations

该项目的实验部分专注于构建三维DNA“晶体”，其目标是创建预定形状的无误差的大晶体。特别地，正在尝试控制晶体小平面的相对长度和相邻小平面之间的角度。这项研究可能最终导致三维计算机的构建，使我们摆脱目前由硅施加的二维限制。另一个潜在的应用可能是用荧光团或量子点“腌制”的3D晶体，用于创造新的光学或量子器件。理论上的努力是针对产生管理自组装的基本过程的理解，以及指导实际和实验系统设计的新算法的开发。DNA的功能在很大程度上是由其组合结构决定的，因此算法技术特别适合于DNA自组装的理论研究，作为该项目的一部分，正在开发两门关于自组装的新课程，一门在斯坦福大学，另一门在南加州大学，涉及分子自组装：模型和算法。这一系列课程的课堂讲稿将提供给科学界。

The experimental part of this project is focusing on the construction of 3-dimensional DNA "crystals" where the goal is to create large error-free crystals of predetermined shape. In particular, control of the relative lengths of crystal facets and the angles between adjacent facets is being attempted. This research may ultimately lead to the construction of 3-dimensional computers, freeing us from the 2-dimensional restriction currently imposed by silicon. Another potential application might be 3-D crystals "salted" with flourophors or quantum dots for the creation of novel optical or quantum devices. The theoretical efforts are directed toward generating an understanding of the fundamental processes that govern self-assembly, and the development of new algorithms that will guide the design of practical and experimental systems. The functionality of DNA is determined, to a large extent, by its combinatorial structure, making algorithmic techniques particularly well suited for a theoretical study of DNA self-assembly.As part of this project, two new courses on self-assembly are being developed, one at Stanford University and one at University of Southern California in the area of Molecular Self-Assembly: Models and Algorithms. The lecture notes from this sequence of courses will be made available to the scientific community.