Available to watch now, Physics World explores DNA nanotechnology that can enable new applications in single-molecule biophysics and biosensing
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In recent years, DNA nanotechnology has matured to enable robust production of complex nanostructures and hybrid materials. We have combined DNA nanotechnology with sensitive optical detection to create functional single-molecule devices that enable new applications in single-molecule biophysics and biosensing.
To improve the sensitivity of DNA detection assays, we created DNA origami optical antennas for metal enhanced fluorescence. We first discuss the influence of the metal nanostructure on the photophysical properties of dyes. We then show how that single molecules can even be detected on a battery-driven portable smartphone microscope using DNA origami nanoantennas.
Further applications including self-healing nanostructures as brightness references, a molecular force clamp and single-molecule assays on graphene are presented.
• This research is described in Methods and Applications in Fluorescence.
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Prof. Dr Philip Tinnefeld obtained his PhD in 2002 in the field of single molecule spectroscopy. After postdocs in Los Angeles and Leuven, he completed his habilitation in physics at Bielefeld University in 2006. He became associate professor of biophysics at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) and as full professor of biophysical chemistry at the Technische Universität Braunschweig. Now he is a full professor of physical chemistry at LMU and the head of the NanoBioScience group. He is the author of more than 170 research items and filed nine patent applications.
Among his key publications there is the first demonstration of the switchability of fluorescent dyes such as Cy5 and the discovery of the reducing and oxidizing system (ROXS). He was involved in the development of the superresolution techniques dSTORM, Blink Microscopy and DNA PAINT.
In recent innovations, he used DNA nanotechnology for self-assembled molecular devices including calibration nanorulers, nano-adapters, fluorescence enhancers and molecular force clamps. He has been initiator and mentor of GATTAquant, the first company commercializing DNA origami applications.
