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THE LONGER VERSION: In this week’s episode, Arun discussed how DNA nanostructures can be used for biotech as well as data storage. We asked about other applications being explored in the broader field of nanotechnology. As it turns out, materials science is fertile territory. There’s also growing interest in developing DNA barcodes. ARC: Imagine a store where vegetables, produce or other plant or animal-based food items, all of which contain DNA, could be scanned using the DNA sequence within the item itself in lieu of a sticker. Why would this be helpful? Well, for one thing, this is an example of developing an alternative material, in the sustainability sense. Globally, we’ve already used up more materials than we should, so DNA is an alternate material that doesn’t cause environmental harm. And, since DNA is biodegradable, we don't have to worry about creating even more waste, or removing something that contains chemicals from our food before we consume it. These stickers might not seem like a big environmental problem, but they are made of plastic and glue and chemicals, so if we can use a different material instead, especially one that’s also biocompatible, that could be a good thing. And it’s not just about stickers; the bigger point is exploring DNA as a sustainable material that could potentially benefit other applications. I’m still picturing a futuristic grocery where you fill your cart, walk out the door, and everything is scanned, priced, and paid for automatically… ARC: So, yes, that’s the literal “barcode” connection. We can also extend the concept to disease diagnostics, though here the “barcode” becomes more of a visual signifier than a traditional barcode as we know it. For example, consider a strep throat or pregnancy test where the result readout consists of one or two lines to indicate positive or negative. I mentioned before how DNA data storage operates in binary – 1s and 0s – so we can use this system to indicate a positive or negative result for a given condition. This is something I worked on previously with Ken Halvorsen [https://www.albany.edu/rna/faculty/ken-halvorsen] at the RNA Institute [https://www.albany.edu/rna]. We created a DNA-based assay where the result is a series of vertical lines, and each line encodes for a specific disease biomarker. The reason we did this is because we wanted to create a test to detect more than one biomarker or more than one disease in a single go. This could be especially helpful for DNA or RNA-based diseases which often require a complex assessment of multiple biomarkers to make a diagnosis. The readout for our assay took the form of five or six lines, each line representing presence or absence of a particular biomarker. Those lines, together, resembled a barcode. When it comes to creating DNA shapes, it doesn’t sound like much is off the table design-wise. For one, you mentioned DNA bunnies. What gave rise to the nano rabbit? ARC:The nanoscale bunnies were first made in Bjorn Hogberg's lab at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden in 2015. At the time, it was the first demonstration of making mesh-like structures using DNA and played a key role in advancing the technology that we’re working with today. (This Science Friday episode [https://www.sciencefriday.com/articles/an-origami-bunny-made-from-dna/] explains more.) GO DEEPER: So, nano means small. Like really, really small. It takes trillions of DNA nanostructures to form a 3D DNA crystal, which only becomes possible to see with the help of a microscope. Take a look at some examples of DNA crystals from Arun's lab. [https://www.albany.edu/news-center/dna-crystals-under-the-microscope] Arun mentioned his soft spot for pop culture references in academic works including journal titles (this one’s for the Potter fans) [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S136952741930013X]. He even wrote an op-ed on the topic [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590238521000643?dgcid=author], published in the journal Matter. As for how to use a movie reference to help science make sense? Arun's own Fifth Element connection [https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jacs.0c02211] passed peer review muster. One of Arun’s first paths of nano-exploration as a grad student focused on studying DNA’s “handedness”. Learn more about what that means [https://www.asbmb.org/asbmb-today/science/102624/the-shape-of-molecules-to-come], and how it recently led Arun’s team to challenge long-held truths about the structure of DNA. Together with UAlbany’s Associate Professor of Biology Cheryl Andam, Arun initiated the “Goggles and Galleries” science + art event series late last year. Check out student artwork [https://www.albany.edu/news-center/news/2026-goggles-and-galleries-exhibit-shows-student-art-celebrating-brain] on display at that event. You can also view a gallery of Arun’s journal cover art here [https://www.arunrichard.com/gallery]. Take a look inside Arun’s lab at UAlbany’s Life Sciences Research Building [https://www.albany.edu/news-center/news/2025-ualbany-researchers-unlock-new-capabilities-dna-nanostructure-self-assembly] and learn more about his research and art [https://www.arunrichard.com/]. EPISODE CREDITS: Audio editing and production by Scott Freedman Photos by Patrick Dodson Interview and written by Erin Frick The Short Version is produced by the Office of Communications and Marketing [https://www.albany.edu/communications-marketing] at the University at Albany, which is part of the State University of New York. Comments, ideas, suggestions? Send them to mediarelations@albany.edu [mediarelations@albany.edu] and be sure to put The Short Version in the subject line.
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