Weizmann Institute scientists develop two systems that could advance soft robotics, smart materials and targeted medical treatments.
By Shula Rosen
Scientists at Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science have created two types of artificial materials capable of moving, changing shape and coordinating their movements through DNA-based mechanisms, potentially opening new possibilities for soft robotics, programmable materials and targeted medical treatments.
The institute announced the breakthrough Monday, with the findings detailed in separate studies published in the journals Nature Materials and Nature Physics.
In one experiment, researchers combined DNA and a cell-free gene expression system with a network of microtubules, microscopic structures found in living cells. Genetic instructions directed the production of motor proteins that generated the forces needed to move and reshape the network.
By modifying the DNA instructions, the scientists were able to regulate the material’s speed, determine when movement began and control changes in its mechanical behavior. They also programmed the system to perform short movements followed by periods of inactivity, as well as repeated bursts of motion at predetermined intervals.
A second experiment demonstrated how DNA could help synchronize movement throughout a material without requiring external direction.
Researchers introduced long DNA strands into a network of microtubules and molecular motors.
As the system moved, the strands stretched and became intertwined, eventually forming a three-dimensional structure capable of producing continuous oscillations across distances measured in millimeters.
The resulting network expanded and contracted rhythmically, allowing separate sections of the material to move together.
Scientists observed that increasing the length and connectivity of the DNA strands produced stronger, more coordinated movements.
Unlike conventional materials that depend on external inputs such as light, magnetic fields or imposed mechanical structures, the newly developed systems can regulate certain movements internally.
The researchers said the findings demonstrate two approaches to controlling artificial active matter: one through genetic programming and the other through mechanical feedback generated within the material itself.
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