title: Engineering DNA-based functional materials.
abstract: While DNA is a genetic material, it is also an inherently polymeric material made from repeating units called nucleotides. Although DNA's biological functions have been studied for decades, the polymeric features of DNA have not been extensively exploited until recently. In this tutorial review, we focus on two aspects of using DNA as a polymeric material: (1) the engineering methods, and (2) the potential real-world applications. More specifically, various strategies for constructing DNA-based building blocks and materials are introduced based on DNA topologies, which include linear, branched/dendritic, and networked. Different applications in nanotechnology, medicine, and biotechnology are further reviewed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14850, USA.
authors.forename: Young Hoon
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Roh
authors.forename: Roanna C H
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Ruiz
authors.forename: Songming
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Jong Bum
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Luo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D057005:Bioengineering / Q000379:methods*; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D050091:Dendrimers / Q000737:chemistry; D036103:Nanotechnology
chemical_list: D050091:Dendrimers; D004247:DNA