A synergic collaboration between soft-matter physicists and molecular biologists of nucleic acid has yielded the realization of a new nano-material, DNA-hydrogel, liquid at low and high temperatures (≤20°C, > 45°C) and gelifies at 32/40°C. The liquid DNA hydrogel at 20°C can be easily injected into the organism and then quickly gelifies at body temperature (37°C). The abilty to gelify at 37°C is the starting point for the design and development of novel DNA-hydrogels as carriers for the delivery of bioactive molecules into tissues.
Re-entrant DNA gels Bomboi F, Romano F, Leo M, Fernandez-Castanon J, Cerbino R, Bellini T, Bordi F, Filetici P, Sciortino F. Nat Commun. 2016 vol. 7:13191. doi: 10.1038/ncomms13191.
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