The main responsibility of DNA is to carry the genetic information for all life on earth. Recently, scientists have discovered a new purpose for DNA: as a building material. Its inherent programmability and predictable structure have enabled the construction of intricate shapes, patterns, and 3-D objects through a folding process called “DNA origami.” The final product is simple: one long scaffold strand held together by many short staple strands. Synthesis of these multiple units, however, has proven to be expensive and difficult to scale up for broad applications. Here, we solve this problem by designing single strands of synthetic DNA that can independently fold into desired structures, by exploiting intramolecular interactions such as stem loops and helix crossovers.

Hello! As a SuperUROP this year, I am “super” excited to develop and extend my research in DNA Nanotechnology at the MIT Media Lab. Having previous experience and numerous publications in the field of immunology, I now wish to integrate biology and computer science and advance the frontiers of technology by designing molecular programming tools and dynamic 3-D nanostructures, using DNA as the primary tool of choice