Design and synthesis of dynamically assembling DNA nanostructures

Abstract

Kinetically controlled isothermal growth is fundamental to biological development, but it remains challenging to rationally design molecular systems that self-assemble isothermally into complex geometries via prescribed assembly and disassembly pathways. By exploiting the programmable chemistry of base pairing, sophisticated spatial and temporal control have both been demonstrated in DNA self-assembly, but largely as separate pursuits. This dissertation extends a new approach, called developmental self-assembly, that integrates temporal with spatial control by using a prescriptive molecular program to specify the kinetic pathways by which DNA molecules isothermally self-assemble into well-defined three-dimensional geometries.