NSF REU in Bioengineering
Insights into DNA Nanoengineering at UCSD
June - August 2013
I was accepted into the NSF Research Experience For Undergraduates program at UCSD during the Summer of 2013. There, I worked in the Lal Laborator for Nano-bio-imaging and Devices on a project to quantify the DNA Strand Displacement reaction for use in nanomachinery. I presented the results of my research at the annual Biomedical Engineering Society conference in Seattle that summer.
Problem
Conventional drug delivery is an inefficient system that relies on drugs being taken orally or injected directly into the blood stream. This causes the drugs to be circulated around the entire body, resulting in high dosages and numerous side effects. Targeted therapeutics could eliminate these problems, and allow for better local treatment of diseases such as cancer that require drugs that are harmful to the rest of the body.
We can use DNA, which has a well understood chemistry and structure to influence local drug delivery on the nano scale.
Goal
To:
Design a model to predict the rate of the DNA Strand Displacement reaction based on controllable properties of the strands involved
Create nanocapsules for targeted drug delivery that utilize DNA Strand Displacement to control the release of the drugs
Project
 DNA ManipulationI developed a good understanding of DNA and was tasked with loading fluorescent-tagged DNA strands into a microplate reader to observe rates of the Strand Displacement reactions |  SEM ImagingI created and imaged silica nanocapsules for use as targeted drug delivery devices |  Presentation of ResearchI presented preliminary research findings at the BMES conference in Seattle |
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