Having this kind of control over a material is like a ‘golden ticket’ of sensing.
- Lorenzo Di Michele
Researchers from the University of Cambridge have developed a new self-assembled material, which, by changing its shape, can amplify small variations in temperature and concentration of biomolecules, making them easier to detect. The material, which consists of synthetic spheres ‘glued’ together with short strands of DNA, could be used to underpin a new class of biosensors, or form the basis for new drug delivery systems.
The interplay between the lipid spheres, called giant vesicles, and the strands of DNA produces a unique response when the material is exposed to changes in temperature. Instead of expanding when heated – as is normally the case – the material contracts, a phenomenon known as negative thermal expansion. Details are published this week in the journal Nature Communications.
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Image:A lipid membrane functionalised with DNA-linkers
Credit: Lorenzo Di Michele
Reproduced courtesy of the University of Cambridge
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