ISOVIR · Isothermal DNA Origami for Virus Capture and Sensing

Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.

Project objective

Virus infections are among the most pressing challenges in modern medicine, with only a few antiviral treatments and diagnostic tools available. To address this gap, innovative molecular technologies are needed. DNA origami is a technique in which a long single-stranded DNA scaffold is folded into a defined 2D or 3D structure by hundreds of short “staple” strands, enabling the programmable construction of nanoscale objects. These structures have shown promise for virus encapsulation, which blocks cell interaction, and for diagnostics, where DNA origami can be functionalized with sensing molecules to provide specific and sensitive detection of viral targets.However, conventional DNA origami assembly relies on thermal annealing, where DNA strands are denatured and slowly cooled. As a result, nanostructures must first be folded in a test tube under non-physiological conditions and can only afterwards be introduced into biological environments, preventing co-assembly with viruses or heat-sensitive molecules. Recent advances have demonstrated isothermal self-assembly under physiological conditions, opening the possibility for biocompatible applications. Yet, these advances have so far been confined to proof-of-principle studies with simple model structures. Thus, the crucial step from methodological progress to functional biomedical application remains unaddressed.This project will fill that gap by pioneering the first biomedical applications of isothermal DNA origami. I will design nanostructures that self-assemble around viruses to block cell interaction and infection, and that function as isothermally assembling sensors co-folding with targeting molecules, thereby expanding the biomedical potential of DNA nanotechnology and establishing a new platform for virus diagnostics and therapeutics.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

• UNIVERSITAET POTSDAM · PotsdamCoordinatorGermany

Links

• View on CORDIS
• DOI: 10.3030/101271796