1 research outputs found
3D Printing with Nucleic Acid Adhesives
By relying on specific DNA:DNA interactions
as a “smart
glue”, we have assembled microparticles into a colloidal gel
that can hold its shape. This gel can be extruded with a 3D printer
to generate centimeter size objects. We show four aspects of this
material: (1) The colloidal gel material holds its shape after extrusion.
(2) The connectivity among the particles is controlled by the binding
behavior between the surface DNA and this mediates some control over
the microscale structure. (3) The use of DNA-coated microparticles
dramatically reduces the cost of DNA-mediated assembly relative to
conventional DNA nanotechnologies and makes this material accessible
for macroscale applications. (4) This material can be assembled under
biofriendly conditions and can host growing cells within its matrix.
The DNA-based control over organization should provide a new means
of engineering bioprinted tissues