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14 HEALTH AND LABORATORY MAGAZINE

DNA USED FOR BUILDING

THE WORLD’S TINIEST ANTENNA

“The DNA based

nanoantennas can
be synthesized with
different lengths
and flexibilities

to optimize their
function.”
Like a two-way radio that can both receive and transmit radio waves, the fluorescent nanoantenna designed
by Alexis Vallée-Bélisle and his team receives light in one color and depending on the protein movement it
senses, then transmits light back in another color, which we can detect. One of the main innovations of these
nanoantennas is that the receiver part of the antenna (bright green) is also employed to sense the molecular
surface of the protein studied via molecular interaction. Credit: Caitlin Monney

Researchers at Université molecules that encode other color, which we can an enzyme. malfunction, consequently
de Montréal have created genetic information. “In re- detect.” leading to disease, this
a nanoantenna to monitor cent years, chemists have “By carefully tuning the new method can also help
the motions of proteins. realized that DNA can also One of the main innova- nanoantenna design, we chemists identify promising
The device is a new meth- be employed to build a va- tions of these nanoanten- have created five na- new drugs as well as guide
od to monitor the structural riety of nanostructures and nae is that the receiver nometer-long antenna nanoengineers to develop
change of proteins over nanomachines”, added the part of the antenna is also that produces a distinct improved nanomachines,”
time – and may go a long researcher, who also holds employed to sense the signal when the protein is added Dominic Lauzon,
way to helping scientists the Canada Research molecular surface of the performing its biological a co-author of the study
better understand natural Chair in Bioengineering and protein studied via molecu- function.” doing his PhD in chemistry
and human-designed na- Bionanotechnology. lar interaction. at UdeM.
notechnologies. Fluorescent nanoanten-
“Inspired by the ‘Lego-like’ One of the main advan- nas open many exciting One main advance ena-
“The results are so exciting properties of DNA, with tages of using DNA to avenues in biochemistry bled by these nanoanten-
that we are currently work- building blocks that are engineer these nanoanten- and nanotechnology, the nas is also their ease-of-
ing on setting up a start-up typically 20,000 times nas is that DNA chemistry scientists believe. use, the scientists said.
company to commercialize smaller than a human hair, is relatively simple and
and make this nanoan- we have created a DNA- programmable,” said Scott “For example, we were able “Perhaps what we are
tenna available to most based fluorescent nano- Harroun, an UdeM doctoral to detect, in real time and most excited by is the
researchers and the phar- antenna, that can help student in chemistry and for the first time, the func- realization that many labs
maceutical industry,” said characterize the function of the study’s first author. tion of the enzyme alkaline around the world, equipped
UdeM chemistry professor proteins.” he said phosphatase with a variety with a conventional
Alexis Vallée-Bélisle, the “The DNA-based nanoan- of biological molecules and spectrofluorometer, could
study’s senior author. “Like a two-way radio tennas can be synthesized drugs,” said Harroun. “This readily employ these na-
that can both receive and with different lengths and enzyme has been impli- noantennas to study their
AN ANTENNA THAT transmit radio waves, the flexibilities to optimize their cated in many diseases, favorite protein, such as
WORKS LIKE A TWO-WAY fluorescent nanoanten- function,” he said. “One can including various cancers to identify new drugs or to
RADIO na receives light in one easily attach a fluorescent and intestinal inflammation. develop new nanotechnol-
color, or wavelength, and molecule to the DNA, and ogies,” said Vallée-Bélisle.
Over 40 years ago, re- depending on the protein then attach this fluorescent “In addition to helping us
searchers invented the first movement it senses, then nanoantenna to a biolog- understand how natural
DNA synthesizer to create transmits light back in an- ical nanomachine, such as nanomachines function or