DNA origami nanosyringe mechanically delivers molecules into synthetic cells

Researchers at the University of Stuttgart have developed a DNA origami nanosyringe that actively transports molecules across lipid membranes into synthetic cells. The device consists of two modular DNA origami components: a membrane-anchoring base and a movable needle connected by a reversible sliding mechanism. DNA strand-displacement reactions drive the needle forward to penetrate the membrane and backward to retract it, completing a programmable mechanical cycle.

Unlike passive diffusion through nanopores, the nanosyringe enables membrane transport to be actively controlled in space and time. The device anchors onto lipid membranes, penetrates them, delivers molecular cargo attached to the needle, and subsequently retracts to restore membrane integrity without permanent disruption. The work was published in Nature Nanotechnology.

The team demonstrated that the platform functions as more than a delivery device. Once reliable reversible transport was established, the researchers used the nanosyringe as a programmable interface to control biochemical processes inside synthetic cells. They spatially initiated DNA hybridization chain reactions at the membrane, activated RNA transcription through targeted delivery of promoter activators, and introduced catalytic DNAzymes that selectively cleaved RNA substrates inside membrane-bound compartments.

These demonstrations show that mechanical membrane transport can directly regulate downstream biochemical functions with precise temporal control. The researchers emphasize that the significance extends beyond membrane transport itself, introducing the mechanical principle into programmable DNA nanotechnology.

Instead of relying only on molecular recognition, DNA nanodevices can now actively interact with biological membranes through controlled mechanical motion. Future developments may enable programmable delivery of proteins, nucleic acids, and other functional biomolecules, opening opportunities for synthetic biology, molecular therapeutics, and engineered biointerfaces.

Professor Laura Na Liu, director of the 2nd Physics Institute at the University of Stuttgart, notes that living systems are dynamic and future molecular technologies should interact with them in equally dynamic ways. The programmable mechanical device represents an addition to the DNA nanotechnology toolbox for increasingly sophisticated communication between synthetic molecular systems and biological environments.