Nature’s origami– DNA nanotechnology

DNA nanotechnology treats DNA not primarily as a carrier of genetic information, but as a programmable material. Based on the predictability of Watson–Crick base pairing, DNA nanotechnology allows researchers to encode specific structural information. DNA origami, in particular, is an interesting approach for reproducibly folding complex two- and three-dimensional DNA nano-objects. The potential of DNA origami structures shows their versatility, from biosensing and diagnostics to drug delivery, biomaterials, DNA data storage, and computing — even though the field is still at a comparatively early stage, with a number of interesting biotechs emerging. With DNA nanotechnology expert and science writer Marco Lolaico, we discuss the fascinating field of DNA nanotechnology, with structures from DNA smileys to DNA bunnies, to movable DNA machines. We ask Marco how big “huge” is through a nanotech lens, and whether we can expect a Nobel Prize for the technology. Find Marco here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marco-lolaico/ Find his “Plenty of room” newsletter here: https://plentyofroom.beehiiv.com/ Disclaimer: Louise von Stechow & Andreas Horchler and their guests express their personal opinions, which are founded on research on the respective topics, but do not claim to give medical, investment or even life advice in the podcast. Learn more about the future of biotech in our podcasts and keynotes. Contact us here: scientific communication: https://science-tales.com/ Podcasts: https://www.podcon.de/ Keynotes: https://www.zukunftsinstitut.de/louise-von-stechow References: 1. Nature Research Intelligence DNA Nanotechnology and Biomedical Applications. https://www.nature.com/research-intelligence/nri-topic-summaries/dna-nanotechnology-and-biomedical-applications-micro-2491 2. Seeman NC. Nucleic acid junctions and lattices. 1982. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/link_gateway/1982JThBi..99..237S/doi:10.1016/0022-5193(82)90002-9 3. Rothemund PWK. Folding DNA to create nanoscale shapes and patterns. 2006. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/link_gateway/2006Natur.440..297R/doi:10.1038/nature04586 4. Seeman NC, Sleiman HF. DNA nanotechnology. 2017. https://www.nature.com/articles/natrevmats201768 5. Zhan P et al. Recent Advances in DNA Origami-Engineered Nanomaterials. 2023. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.chemrev.3c00028 6. Dunn KE. The Business of DNA Nanotechnology: Commercialization of Origami and Other Technologies. 2020. https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/25/2/377 7. https://plentyofroom.beehiiv.com/p/molecular-hard-drives-dna-origami-rewrites-data-storage 8. Zhang C. Linked data storage using DNA origami nanostructures. 2025. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-66274-x 9. https://plentyofroom.beehiiv.com/p/dna-origami-boosts-anti-hiv-antibodies-vaccine-breakthrough 10. Romanov A. DNA origami vaccines program antigen-focused germinal centers. 2026. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adx6291