Programmable polymer-DNA hydrogels with dual input and multiscale responses

Giovanna Sicilia, Christine Grainger-Boultby, Nora Francini, Johannes P. Magnusson, Aram O. Saeed, Francisco Fernández-Trillo, Sebastian G. Spain* and Cameron Alexander; Biomat. Sci., 2014, 2, 203-211. [DOI] [PDF]

Abstract

Combination switchable polymer-DNA hydrogels have been synthesized to respond to both a specific oligonucleotide recognition signal and a non-specific but biorelevant environmental trigger. The hydrogels exhibit rheological properties that can be modulated through interaction with complementary DNA strands and/or reduction. Furthermore, individual and combined oligonucleotide recognition and reduction responses allow control over pore sizes in the gel, enabling programmable release and transport of objects ranging from the nano- to micro-scale.