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Thursday, 23rd August 2007 (6624 views)

Researchers at the US Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have discovered how to control the self-assembly of gold nanoparticles by using DNA, it has been reported.

The discovery could have wide-ranging implications and could possibly aid in developing cell-targeted systems used in drug delivery, an article in Science Daily recounts.

It could also lead to developing better ways to project energy.

Mathew Maye, who is a chemist working in the laboratory's Centre for Functional Nanomaterials, told Science Daily: "We can synthesize nanoparticles with very well controlled optical, catalytic, and magnetic properties.

"They are usually free-flowing in solution, but for use in a functional device, they have to be organized in three dimensions."

The researchers "want the particles themselves to do the work" Mr Maye added.

A synthetic DNA is used for the experiments and is attached to the gold nanoparticles to help identify the DNA on other particles.

DNA is short for Deoxyribonucleic acid.

 

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