CAREER: Programming Nucleic Acids Self-Assembly

职业：编程核酸自组装本提案的目的是开发平台，用于从核酸分子（DNA和RNA）自组装的工程可编程合成分子器件，并利用这些器件进行有用的分子工作。在这项研究中，这些装置由能够有条件改变构型的小的合成核酸单体组成，并且可以编程以进行自组装、移动和计算。当与其他功能分子（如荧光团和蛋白质）结合时，它们可能会成为空间排列的动态控制器，从而发挥这些分子的集体功能。这将使成像，传感，诊断和治疗的各种应用的发展。具体来说，拟议的研究将（1）开发计算工具，以促进这些分子器件的设计，（2）实验构建DNA和RNA分子器件，证明规定的动态行为，和（3）利用这些分子器件的各种生物医学应用。将推行综合研究和教育计划，为博士后研究员、研究生和本科生提供跨学科培训。新的分子工程课程将被开发以使哈佛的研究生和本科生受益。去私家侦探那实地考察？的实验室将主办，以帮助激发学生从当地高中与多数少数民族人口对职业生涯的科学和工程。一个国际本科生生物分子设计和工程竞赛将启动，以帮助接触世界各地的学生在生物分子纳米技术的研究经验。

CAREER: Programming Nucleic Acids Self-AssemblyThe objective of this proposal is to develop platforms for engineering programmable synthetic molecular devices self-assembled from nucleic acid molecules (DNA and RNA), and for exploiting these devices to do useful molecular work. In this research, these devices are composed of small synthetic nucleic acid monomers capable of conditional configuration change, and can be programmed to self-assemble, move, and compute. When coupled with other functional molecules, such as fluorophores and proteins, they could potentially serve as dynamic controllers for the spatial arrangement and, hence the collective function, of such molecules. This will enable the development of diverse applications in imaging, sensing, diagnostics, and therapeutics. Specifically, the proposed research will (1) develop computational tools to facilitate the design of these molecular devices, (2) experimentally construct DNA and RNA molecular devices that demonstrate prescribed dynamic behaviors, and (3) exploit such molecular devices for diverse biomedical applications. Integrated research and education plans will be pursued to provide interdisciplinary training for postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and undergraduate students. New curriculum on molecular engineering will be developed to benefit the Harvard graduate and undergraduate population. Field trip to the PI?s lab will be hosted to help excite students from a local high school with a majority minority population about careers in science and engineering. An international undergraduate biomolecular design and engineering competition will be launched to help expose students around world with research experience in biomolecular nanotechnology.