University of Illinois researchers develop DNA NanoGripper to detect, inhibit viruses
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (CBS) -- A tiny hand crafted from DNA in a lab in Illinois may be able to help researchers get a hold of viruses and isolate them.
Scientists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign created the NanoGripper, and used it to grab particles from the SARS-CoV2 virus that causes COVID-19.
The NanoGripper is described by UIUC as a "tiny, four-fingered 'hand' folded from a signle piece of DNA." It is able to pick up the COVID virus for highly-sensitive rapid detection and can even block viral particles from infecting healthy cells, researchers said.
U of I bioengineering and chemistry professor Xing Wang led the team that developed the NanoGripper. The research described their work in the journal Science Robotics.
The NanoGripper was developed with inspiration from the gripping power of the human hand and bird claws. It was designed with flexible fingers that each have three joints, and a palm—with the angle and degree the fingers bend being determined by the DNA scaffold.
"We wanted to make a soft material, nanoscale robot with grabbing functions that never have been seen before, to interact with cells, viruses and other molecules for biomedical applications," Wang said in a news release. "We are using DNA for its structural properties. It is strong, flexible and programmable. Yet even in the DNA origami field, this is novel in terms of the design principle. We fold one long strand of DNA back and forth to make all of the elements, both the static and moving pieces, in one step."
The fingers contain what are known as DNA aptameters, which are programmed to bind to molecular targets such as the spike proteins of the SARS-CoV2 virus, the release said.
Researchers say the NanoGripper could potentially be used to detect and grab other viruses such as HIV—and perhaps even cancer. It may also be used for targeted drug delivery.