The enabled state of DNA nanotechnology

Abstract

It is notoriously difficult to observe, let alone control, the position and orientation of molecules due to their small size and the constant thermal fluctuations that they experience in solution. Molecular self-assembly with DNA enables building custom-shaped nanometer-scale objects with molecular weights up to the megadalton regime. It provides a viable route for placing molecules and constraining their fluctuations in user-defined ways, thereby opening up completely new avenues for scientific and technological exploration. Here, we review progress that has been made in recent years toward the state of an enabled DNA nanotechnology.