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DNA nanotechnology

The world's smallest assembly line

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Two separate studies show how DNA tiles can be used in automated assembly processes: one system self-replicates, the second assembles the output of a molecular computation.

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Figure 1: DNA tiles (A and B) are programmed to assemble into a prototype pattern through hybridization.
Figure 2: An assembly of DNA tiles is able to divide by three binary numbers represented by DNA tiles, with sticky-ended DNA strands representing '0' and '1' domains.

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Correspondence to Sharon C. Glotzer.

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van Anders, G., Glotzer, S. The world's smallest assembly line. Nature Chem 4, 79–80 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchem.1251

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