GOLEM

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GOLEM Bio-inspired Assembly Process for Mesoscale
Products and Systems
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The Project

• The GOLEM objective is to use nanotechnology to
  mimic methods used by nature to interface organic
  and non-organic material
• Molecular recognition properties like proteins
  /ligand interaction or DNA hybridization will be
  used to uniquely define mating pairs between
  nano-objects to assemble.

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Science and Technology Objectives

• To understand and investigate the bio-inspired
  bindings suitable for non-organic materials.
• To characterize the assembly process at the
  micro- /nano- scale (geometry, bonding forces,
  repeatability, etc.) using dedicated tools.
• To develop tools and methods to selectively
  functionalise surfaces on which bio-molecules are
  attached.
• To prove the principle of an assembled device
  using bio-inspired bonds.

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What is Nanotechnology?

• Nanoscience and nanotechnology involve studying
  and working with objects on an ultra-small scale

• One nanometre (nm) is 0.000000001 metres
• one-millionth of a millimetre
• A single human hair is 80,000 nm thick

Definitions - http//www.royalsoc.ac.uk/glossary.a
sp
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What is DNA?

• The material inside the nucleus of cells that
  carries genetic information. The scientific name
  for DNA is deoxyribonucleic acid
• DNA is made up of four bases (A, T, G, C)
  arranged in a complex order into long strands

• Adenine (A) only matches with Thymine (T),
  forming two hydrogen bonds
• Guanine (G) forms three hydrogen bonds with
  Cytosine (C)

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• Remember bases have to match
• A pairs with T
• G pairs with C

• When the bases on two strands of DNA match, they
  bond and form a double-helix. The backbones of a
  double helix are negatively charged
• This binding process with base-matching is
  called DNA Hybridisation

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Hybridisation The Parameters

• - The DNA strand length
• - The salt concentration in the solution
• - The G-C content in the sequence
• - The temperature must be controlled
• - The time allowed for hybridisation
• - The surface charge density of the substrate on
  which the DNA is attached

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DNA is a Code..

• Each base (A,T,G,C) in a DNA strand can only
  match up with one other base - the behaviour is
  predictable
• DNA sequences can be designed to have high
  strength and binding

• This logic in the system means that DNA can be
  used as a programmable glue to bind nano- or
  micro-objects to each other, or to a
  functionalised surface

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Other Bio-bonds LNA / PNA

• Locked nucleic acid (LNA) and
• peptide nucleic acid (PNA)
• LNA and PNA are artifically synthesised molecules
• Have the programmable capabilities of DNA, but
  with higher affinity
• The hybridisation of PNA to LNA is unaffected by
  the ionic environment of the buffer

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Other Bio-bonds Protein/Ligand

• Used to label DNA strands to ensure efficient
  attachment
• Most methods utilise the molecular affinity
  between the protein avidin and the vitamin biotin

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GOLEM
GOLEM plans to use bio-inspired processes,
like DNA hybridisation, or other bio-bonds, to
bridge the gap between organic and non-organic
materials at the micro- and nano-scale
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The Project Partners
CZECH TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY
Laboratoire de Robotique de Paris (LRP)
University of Stuttgart Universität Stuttgart
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Slides prepared by
Laurie Winkless National Physical Laboratory,
UK.
The GOLEM project is supported by the European
Commission under the Sixth Framework Programme
(FP6) NMP 10005043