Paging Dr. Frankenstein: Israeli scientists use DNA to bring artificial matter to ‘life’

Weizmann Institute researchers used DNA to program non-living synthetic materials to move, change shape, and beat rhythmically. Two studies in Nature Materials and Nature Physics show that adding DNA encoding motor proteins into a gel causes self-assembly and directed motion. Another study found that long DNA strands create rhythmic pulses. Potential applications include targeted drug delivery and soft robotics.

Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science have used DNA to bring non-living matter to life, creating artificial materials that can move, change shape, and beat in rhythm. The peer-reviewed research, published in two separate studies in Nature Materials and Nature Physics, could pave the way for advanced therapies that target diseased cells, as well as for soft robotics ranging from internal medical devices to flexible prosthetics. The research, led by Dr. Alexandra Tayar of Weizmann’s Chemical and Biological Physics Department, involved adding DNA containing the genetic code for motor proteins directly into a gel, which read the DNA and manufactured the motor proteins inside the dish. The researchers said the discovery showed that lifeless, synthetic materials could be programmed to build their own moving parts and control their own behavior from the inside out. In a second study, researchers tracked a gel packed with microscopic motor proteins and long DNA strands, finding that the back-and-forth movement created a smooth, rhythmic beat without any computer chips or batteries. The organized motion could help nanomedicines penetrate biological barriers. The headline uses a sensational pop-culture reference, but the body describes a controlled scientific advance.