DNA: from Biology to Nanoengineering

由于DNA对生命的基本意义，它一直是一个活跃的研究领域。在过去的二十年里，随着纳米科学技术的快速发展，人们发现了各种将DNA与合成纳米材料相结合的体系。设计的纳米材料已被发现在生物工程中有用，例如基于纳米管和纳米线的生物传感器，用于基因治疗的纳米载体，用于DNA分类和测序的固态纳米孔。DNA的自组织能力也被应用于纳米技术，例如，帮助碳纳米管加工和形成特定的拓扑目标。这些新系统的实验开发已经大大超过了理论建模。深入了解DNA与新型工程纳米材料的基本相互作用和杂化体系的表征，对于确定控制材料行为的参数，提供最佳性能的设计原则，以及加快为所需应用寻找有效材料和结构的进程是必要的。在这项研究计划中，我们计划对DNA和DNA相关杂化材料在现代纳米工程应用中存在的生理和非生理条件下的行为进行建模。通过该计划，我们计划开发一种多尺度建模方法，适用于正在使用或将用于纳米组装、疾病诊断、药物输送、生物成像和传感的广泛系统。由于这些体系中涉及的相互作用具有共同的物理成分，因此本研究计划中开发的方法和建模技术有望扩展到加拿大和国际上，以帮助理解其他新型纳米生物分子体系的行为，并帮助它们的设计和工程实现所需的性质。

DNA has been an active area of research due to its fundamental significance for life. In the past two decades, with the rapid growth of nano- science and technology, a variety of systems have been discovered that integrate DNA with synthetic nanomaterials. Designed nanomaterials have been found to be useful in bioengineering, examples including biosensors based on nanotube and nanowires, nanocarriers for gene therapy, solid-state nanopores for DNA sorting and sequencing. Self-organizing capacity of DNA has also been applied to nanotechnology, for example, to assist in carbon nanotube processing and to form specific topological targets. Experimental development of these novel systems has significantly outpaced theoretical modeling. Thorough understanding on the fundamental interactions of DNA with novel engineered nanomaterials and characterization of the hybrid systems are necessary to determine the parameters governing material behaviors, to provide design principles for optimal performance, and to expedite the progress of finding effective materials and structures for desired applications. In this research program, we plan to model the behaviors of DNA and DNA-related hybrid materials in physiological and non-physiological conditions that are present in modern nanoengineering applications. Through the program, we plan to develop a multi-scale modeling approach suitable for a broad range of systems being used or to be used in nano-assembly, disease diagnostics, drug delivery, biological imaging and sensing. Because the interactions involved in these systems have common physical components, it is expected that the methods and modeling techniques developed in this research program can be extended to assist in the understanding of the behaviors of other novel nano-biomolecular systems, and help their design and engineering towards desired properties, both in Canada and internationally.