Programmable CRISPR-Responsive Smart Materials (IMAGE)

Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard

Programmable CRISPR-Responsive Smart Materials

Caption

Reminiscent of Auguste Rodin's credo 'I choose a block of marble and chop off whatever I don't need,' the Wyss Institute and MIT team used the CRISPR-Cas system (yellow-brownish structures) to alter biomaterials by selective removal of single-stranded DNA cross-linkers that are attached to hydrogels or hold them together. This approach enables the stimulus-specific release of chemical compounds, active enzymes, nanoparticles and cells, as well as materials that can convert biological into electric information.

Credit

Peter Q. Nguyen/Wyss Institute at Harvard University

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