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Tuesday, 18th September 2007 (4291 views)

Scientists working in the United States have created a method to manipulate the properties and potential uses of nanometre and micrometre-sized particles with DNA, according to the Engineer.

The experiment, conducted at the US Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory, used polystyrene microparticles and gold nanoparticles as models.

Each particle was attached to two types of DNA – one complimentary and one non-complimentary – which worked to manipulate its structure.

Matthew Maye, a researcher on the project, told the Engineer that the DNA attached to the particles acts like a "molecular spring", resulting in a controllable repulsive force.

"This force allows us to more easily manipulate particles into different formations," he said.

According to ScienceDaily, the gold nanoparticles used in the experiment measured billionths of a metre and served to help evaluate the potential of using the technique on other types of particles.

The publication reported that applying the technique beyond gold and polystyrene particles could eventually result in particle manipulation for increased energy conversion or cell-targeted systems for drug delivery.

 

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