AGRO 114 |
| Multivalent and anisotropic molecules (addressable molecules) are of great importance since they provide unparalleled control over the placement of different functional moieties within one single molecule. This molecular addressability allows the precise design and synthesis of multifunctional hybrid materials that are not attainable with most of the current natural and synthetic polymers. We developed a general synthesizing approach to create addressable molecules using dendrimer-like DNA, a new type of DNA nanomaterial previously reported from our group. We have designed and synthesized two classes of such multifunctional hybrid molecules: 1) DNA-organic dye hybrid molecules and 2) DNA-gold nanoparticle-quantum dot hybrid molecules. In the first case, we conjugated, with very high precision, individual organic dye molecules (OD) onto single, branched DNA molecules. In the second, we addressed each DNA branch with individual gold nanoparticles (AuNP) and individual quantum dots (QD). We achieved in both cases almost monodisperse materials and at bulk scale. A few examples of DNA nanomaterials will be discussed in this talk with the focus on addressable DNA and their applications in agriculture and biotechnology. These examples include DNA-based nanobarcode systems, DNA hydrogels for drug delivery, and in particular, multiplexed in situ detections of single copy genes from pathogens (e.g., Salmonella and E. coli O157.) without PCR. |
|
Nanotechnology in Agriculture
8:30 AM-11:40 AM, Wednesday, August 22, 2007 BCEC -- 259A, Oral
Division of Agrochemicals |