Beyond the DNA double helix: From twofold to fourfold DNA
Watson and Crick proposed the DNA double-helix structure over 60 years ago, but DNA is not always arranged in a double helix, also forming other structures. One such structure is fourfold DNA, which is found near DNA-encoded genes that are key in causing cancer. By...
How to peel a bug: Engineering fast and effective antimicrobial killers
Scientists from the London Centre for Nanotechnology (LCN) and National Physical Laboratory (NPL) have engineered a new way to kill bacteria, and subsequently visualised in real time how the bacteria under attack were stripped of their protective membranes and died....
DNA-based nanocontainers for drug delivery
Scientists from the LCN have engineered a novel nanoscale drug delivery vehicle which can be tuned to release a range of cargos. The drug delivery system consists of self-assembled DNA nanopores embedded in nanometre-sized ‘bubbles’ known as polymersomes. Polymersomes...