Work

Topographical features enhance DNA tetrahedron biostability

Year: 2026

Type: preprint

Abstract: Stabilization of nucleic acid-based systems is critical for their clinical translation in biomedical applications. Here, we integrated hairpins within the edges of a DNA tetrahedron and studied the stabilization induced by these motifs against nucleases. We show that nuclease resistance of DNA tetrahedra increased with the number of hairpins in the structure, this biostability enhancement is specific to the sequences within the hairpin. Our study provides a new design approach to create nucleic acid nanostructures with inherent biostability.

Source: bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)

DOI: 10.64898/2026.10.27.762189

Authors: Sarah Youssef, Lauren A. Anderson, Mengyao Zheng, Arun Richard Chandrasekaran

Institutions: State University of New York, University at Albany, State University of New York

Language: English

Topic: Advanced biosensing and bioanalysis techniques

Subfield: Molecular Biology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Institutes of Health, National Institute of General Medical Sciences

Award: Programmable DNA Nanostructures as Biomedical and Structural Scaffolds