Topics
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Topics2022.10.19
Hydrogen has the highest energy density (120 MJ/kg) of all known substances, approximately three times more than diesel or gasoline, meaning it could play a pivotal role in sustainable energy systems. But the efficient production of hydrogen by simple water splitting requires highly performing catalysts. Now, a collaborative group from Tohoku University and Johns Hopkins University have developed nanoporous molybdenum-based intermetallic compounds that could boost hydrogen production. Intermetallic compounds in nano-scale formed from non-precious transition metals have the potential to be cost-effective and robust catalysts for hydrogen production. However, the development of monolithic intermetallic compounds, with ample active sites and sufficient electrocatalytic activity, remains a challenge for scientists. "Our research has played a crucial part in addressing that problem," says Professor Hidemi Kato, from the Institute for Materials Research at Tohoku University and co-author of the study. "Focusing on design and engineering, we harnessed an advanced dealloying technique for constructing the intermetallic compounds' architecture." Liquid metal dealloying is a processing technique that utilizes the difference in alloy components' miscibility in a molten metal bath to corrode selected component(s), while retaining the others. It allows for self-organizing into a three-dimensional porous structure. Furthermore, it enables the pore size to be controlled at the nanometer scale for both μ-Co7Mo6 and μ-Fe7Mo6, which are generally at the micrometer scale for the other metals/alloys when coarsening takes place at equivalent temperatures. The principle and self-organizing process of liquid metal dealloying. In the precursor alloy (AB), the pore-forming metal (A) and sacrificial component (B) should have a positive and negative enthalpy when mixing with the melt bath (C), respectively. With the component B selectively dissolving into C melt, the remaining component A self-organizes into a porous structure. ©Takeshi Wada and Ruirui Song The collaborative group then researched the electrocatalytic performance of the new nanoporous intermetallic compounds. It showed promise and potential for use as a commercial HER catalyst for high-current applications. The results of their research were published in the journal Nature Communications on September 2, 2022. In addition to Kato, the group comprised Dr. Ruirui Song, also from the Institute for Materials Research at Tohoku University, Assistant Professor Jiuhui Han from the Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Sciences (FRIS) at Tohoku University and Professor Mingwei Chen from Johns Hopkins University. Looking ahead, the research group hopes to use liquid metal dealloying to develop more monolithic nanoporous intermetallic compounds by exploring the fundamental mechanisms behind general intermetallic phases. Publication Details Ruirui Song, Jiuhui Han, Masayuki Okugawa, Rodion Belosludov, Takeshi Wada, Jing Jiang, Daixiu Wei, Akira Kudo, Yuan Tian, Mingwei Chen & Hidemi Kato Nature Communications “Ultrafine nanoporous intermetallic catalysts by high-temperature liquid metal dealloying for electrochemical hydrogen production” DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32768-1 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-32768-1 Press Release: Tohoku University http://www.tohoku.ac.jp/en/press/nanoporous_intermetallic_compounds_boost_hydrogen_production.html Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University http://www.imr.tohoku.ac.jp/en/news/results/detail---id-1460.html
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Topics2022.09.30
Galaxies, including our Milky Way, host supermassive black holes in their centers, and their masses are millions to billions of times larger than the Sun. Some supermassive black holes launch fast-moving plasma outflows which emit strong radio signals, known as radio jets. Radio jets were first discovered in the 1970s. But much remains unknown about how they are produced, especially their energy source and plasma loading mechanism. Recently, the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration uncovered radio images of a nearby black hole at the center of the giant elliptical galaxy M87. The observation supported the theory that the spin of the black hole powers radio jets but did little to clarify the plasma loading mechanism. Now, a research team led by Tohoku University astrophysicists has proposed a promising scenario that clarifies plasma loading mechanism into radio jets. Recent studies have claimed that black holes are highly magnetized because magnetized plasma inside galaxies carries magnetic fields into the black hole. Then, neighboring magnetic energy transiently releases its energy via magnetic reconnection, energizing the plasma surrounding the black hole. This magnetic reconnection provides the energy source for solar flares. Plasmas in solar flares give off ultraviolet and X-rays; whereas the magnetic reconnection around the black hole can cause gamma-ray emission since the released energy per plasma particle is much higher than that for a solar flare. The present scenario proposes that the emitted gamma rays interact with each other and produce copious electron-positron pairs, which are loaded into the radio jets. This explains the large amount of plasma observed in radio jets, consistent with the M87 observations. Additionally, the scenario makes note that radio signal strengths vary from black hole to black hole. For example, radio jets around Sgr A* - the supermassive black hole in our Milky Way - are too faint and undetectable by current radio facilities. Also, the scenario predicts short-term X-ray emission when plasma is loaded into radio jets. These X-ray signals are missed with current X-ray detectors, but they are observable by planned X-ray detectors. “Under this scenario, future X-ray astronomy will be able to unravel the plasma loading mechanism into radio jets, a long-standing mystery of black holes,” points out Shigeo Kimura, lead author of the study. Details of Kimura and his team’s research were published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters on September 29, 2022. Schematic picture of the plasma loading scenario by magnetic reconnection in the vicinity of a black hole. The left panel is a far-side view of the system. The right panel shows a zoom-in view around the black hole. Magnetic energy is carried by the plasma falling into the black hole, and suddenly releases its magnetic energy by magnetic reconnection. This causes the production of high-energy plasma particles that efficiently emit gamma rays. These gamma rays interact with each other, which leads to the production of electron-positron pairs above and below the magnetic reconnection region. These charged particles are loaded into the radio jets, and their emission in radio bands can be observed as radio jets. Publication Details Shigeo S. Kimura, Kenji Toma, Hirofumi Noda, Kazunori Hada The Astrophysical Journal Letters "Magnetic Reconnection in Black-Hole Magnetospheres: Lepton Loading into Jets, Superluminal Radio Blobs, and Multi-wavelength Flares" DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/ac8d5a https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ac8d5a Press Release: Tohoku University https://www.tohoku.ac.jp/en/press/exploring_plasma_loading_mechanisms_of_radio_jets.html Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University https://www.sci.tohoku.ac.jp/english/news/20220929-12295.html
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Topics2022.08.25
Dr. Aseel Marahleh of FRIS gave a lecture to undergraduate students from Yonsei University and The University of Hong Kong in the 2022 CA+inD Summer Short-term Exchange Program hosted by the Graduate School of Dentistry, Tohoku University. Dr. Marahleh introduced highlights of her research about dentistry in the lecture. The CA+inD Program, which is one of the CAMPUS Asia Plus programs established by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), establishes and promotes dental education/research and dental care based on Asian standards tailored to the environment and needs of Asia (Asian-model dentistry), and to cultivate multimodal global leaders who play critical roles in Asian dental care, oral health, and technological innovation from a variety of perspectives, and capable of contributing to this goal. The 2022 CA+inD Summer Short-term Exchange Program consisted of lectures, laboratory visits, and cultural exchange events over a two-week period and Dr. Marahleh was one of the invited lecturers. After the lecture, Dr. Marahleh commented that she was pleased to be able to present the latest topics to highly motivated students. CA+inD Program: https://www.dent.tohoku.ac.jp/english/caind/
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Topics2022.06.20
[Venue] ONLINE – Zoom KKU-FRIS/DIARE Joint Virtual Workshop for Students Date/Time: 13:30-17:30 on July 6, 2022 Venue: Zoom Meeting To register: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0pdOCgqj0jEtRqVaQfa9ZNwMnyohEOpGYR Young researchers of Konkuk University and Tohoku University are invited to participate in the Meeting. No registration fee. Confirmed Speakers: Konkuk University Da Hee Kim Woo-Jin Lim Ye-Rin Jung Hyerim Ma Joonsoo Kim Minho Keum DIARE, Tohoku University Liu Yingxu Shunichi Tayama Saeka Uchino Wei Yanxiao Adeoya Akmdele Abimibayo Takahiro Morito Xuan Yining Workshop Program Workshop Poster Contact: Dr. Takuya Mabuchi (FRIS, Tohoku University) / mabuchi*tohoku.ac.jp Dr. Ji-Hong Lim (Konkuk University) / jhlim*kku.ac.kr (please replace * with @.) Hosted by: Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Sciences (FRIS), Tohoku University Division for Interdisciplinary Advanced Research and Education (DIARE), Tohoku University
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Topics2022.05.27
Number of position and job description 7 Assistant Professors (We especially encourage applications from women.) Organization and Department Creative Interdisciplinary Research Division, Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Sciences (FRIS), Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan Research field 6 Research categories (1. Material and Energy, 2. Life and Environment, 3. Information and System, 4. Device and Technology, 5. Human and Society, 6. Advanced Basic Science). Successful applicants will be required to promote interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary sciences as a principal investigator (PI). Support 2.5 million JPY (maximum) per year, which is subject to change and is determined by a personal evaluation every year. Required Qualifications PhD degree Starting Date April 1, 2023 (subject to negotiation) Term 5 years (no reappointment) Based on the FRIS tenure-track system, the tenure review is conducted for assistant professor within six (6) months prior to completion of the term of appointment. In case of passing the review process, all will be awarded tenure (assistant professor) or be employed as a fixed-term associate professor in FRIS. If you do not pass it, you will be hired as a fixed-term assistant professor (1 year, maximum 2 years) by a separate examination. Additionally, a FRIS assistant professor may be employed as the faculty member in other department/institute. In detail, please visit the following URL. https://www.fris.tohoku.ac.jp/en/about/tenure-track.html Remuneration An annual salary and allowance will be provided in accordance with Tohoku University’s regulations Remarks Applicants should select one research category in the proposal .Applicants must be requested to select a professor or associate professor in Tohoku University as your mentor. When selecting a mentor, FRIS welcomes those who experience a variety of research environments. Regarding the role of mentor, please visit the following URL. FRIS also asks both of the applicant and mentor to confirm the Internal regulations on mentor faculty. https://www.fris.tohoku.ac.jp/en/about/tenure-track.html Application deadline Applications should be uploaded by 17:00 (JST) July 27, 2022 Requested Documents (1) Curriculum Vitae (Resume using our provided format ). Please be sure to include your photograph, current postal and e-mail addresses, and your phone number in the resume. (2) List of research activities such as publications (papers, proceedings, books), presentations (note “invited”, if it is an invited presentation), awards, patents, outstanding budget, collaboration, etc. (3) Brief statement detailing your research results (less than 400 words) (4) Proposal in our provided format (5) One letter of recommendation (6) Brief introduction of fewer than 5 papers of your research results with the index of ISI impactfactor and number of citation. (NOT necessary of copy of each paper) (All documents should be prepared in PDF format and the total file size must not exceed 10 MB. Please use our provided format for (1) and (4), which can be downloaded below.) (1) ▶Resume Form (4) ▶Proposal Form How to Apply (1) Access to the following URL for Pre-registration https://rct4osp.fris.tohoku.ac.jp/en (2) URL for application form will be informed to your e-mail address after Pre-registration (3) Register and upload your documents in PDF format in “My Page” (4) Applicants will be received confirmation e-mail after the upload of your documents have been completed. Others ■After the first screening (examination of application documents), successful candidates will be contacted for an interview from the middle of October to early of November 2022 by WEB. Detailed announcements will be informed by the end of September, 2022. ■FRIS CoRE (Cooperative Research Environment) is available for your research. It is a new type of support for young independent researchers to accelerate their research activity. Since FRIS members are from various expertise, gathering under one roof and discussing together enables us to enlighten new insights from different perspectives. FRIS CoRE, where essential research environment for Life Science, Chemistry, and Engineering are already installed and will be established for various researchers including Humanities and Social science in future, allows challenging researchers to tackle interdisciplinary research project. FRIS CoRE continues to grow. Please see our website for application and for more information. https://www.fris.tohoku.ac.jp/fris_core/ • Tohoku University promotes activities to increase Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and encourages people of varied talents from all backgrounds to apply for positions at the university. Tohoku University’s website about the DEI Declaration is here: http://tumug.tohoku.ac.jp/dei/ • Pursuant to Article 8 of the Act on Securing, Etc. of Equal Opportunity and Treatment between Men and Women in Employment, Tohoku University • Tohoku University has the largest on-campus childcare system of all Japanese national universities. This network comprises three nurseries: Kawauchi Keyaki Nursery school (capacity: 22) and Aobayama Midori Nursery school (116), both open to all university employees, as well as Hoshinoko Nursery school (120), which is open to employees working on Seiryo Campus. In addition, Tohoku University Hospital runs a childcare room for mildly ill and convalescent children which is available to all university employees. • See the following website for information on these and other programs that Tohoku University runs to assist work-life balance, to support researchers, and to advance gender equality. Tohoku University Center for Gender Equality Promotion website: http://www.tumug.tohoku.ac.jp/ Human Resources and Planning Department website: https://c.bureau.tohoku.ac.jp/jinji-top/external/a-4-kosodate/ • In cases where the person hired for this position takes childcare zleave, the term of employment may be extended by up to the number of days taken off for that leave, if such extension is deemed necessary for educational and/or research purposes. More information from: Professor, Managing and Planning Division, Junji Saida E-mail:@ URL: https://www.fris.tohoku.ac.jp/en/
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Topics2022.04.14
A new study has demonstrated that maternal exercise during pregnancy improves the metabolic health of offspring, even when the mother is obese or on a high-fat diet. Physical exercise by the mother induces the placenta to secrete the key protein SOD3, resulting in a lowered risk of diabetes for the offspring. The findings in the paper identified the mechanisms behind this process. The results were published in the Journal Diabetes on March 15, 2022. Maternal exercise protects offspring from the detrimental effects on their glucose metabolism when the mother consumes a high-fat diet. Exercise-induced, placenta-derived SOD3 protein plays a fundamental role in improving the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), protein carbonylation, and histone modification. ©Kusuyama et al. A Worrying Trend Maternal obesity and type 2 diabetes are on the rise. Over 30% of women of childbearing age in Western and Asian countries are classified as obese. Meanwhile, 630 million people are expected to be living with type 2 diabetes by 2045. Children born to obese mothers or mothers with type 2 diabetes have an increased risk of diabetes, even after going on to live healthy lives. “With the growth of maternal obesity, a worrying cycle is forming where the risk of diabetes gets passed down from generation to generation,” says assistant professor Joji Kusuyama from Tohoku University’s Interdisciplinary Institute for Frontier Science (FRIS), and lead author of the study. “Stopping this cycle is a critical and pressing medical problem.” In the research group with Kusuyama was Laurie Goodyear, Nathan Makarewicz, Brent Albertson, Ana Alves-Wagner, Royce Conlin, Noah Prince, Christiano Alves, Krithika Ramachandran, and Michael Hirshman from Joslin Diabetes Center, Chisayo Kozuka from RIKEN’s Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Toshihisa Hatta from Kanazawa’s Medical University, Yang Xiudong and Yang Xia from the University of Texas, and Ryoichi Nagatomi from Tohoku University’s Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering. Previously, the group showed that exercise during pregnancy has tremendous benefits on an offspring’s metabolic health, demonstrating that placenta-derived SOD3, which stands for supuroexide dismutase 3, plays a key role in transmitting the benefits of maternal exercise to the offspring. Building on this, the team set out to understand how SOD3 prevents the negative effects of obesity being passed from mother to child and found that SOD3 inhibited high fat diet-induced abnormalities in the offspring’s glucose metabolism. The Link Between Maternal and Childhood Obesity Histone methylation plays a fundamental role in epigenetic modification—heritable changes to strands of DNA that do not effect the inherited base pairs. Methyl group (-CH3) attaches to an amino acid in the tail of histone proteins that wrap DNA, sometimes activating gene expression, sometimes inhibiting it. When a mother consumes a diet heavy in fat, the histone H3 trimethylation H3K4me3 gets decreased in the fetal liver and hinders the expression of glucose metabolism genes. This, the researchers discovered, is caused by two things. Reactive oxygen species (ROS)—oxygen in a reactivated and activated state which aids the body’s metabolism and cellular functions — becomes elevated. Meanwhile, WDR82, a key protein that regulates histone methyltransferase, becomes oxidative, impairing protein functions. The harmful effects of maternal high fat diet feeding on an offspring’s metabolism are reversed by maternal exercise. Genetic manipulation demonstrated that placental SOD3 is indispensable for the protective effects of maternal exercise on offspring. The study also highlighted how crucial exercise is for negating this. When the researchers infused N-acetylcysteine (NAC), an antioxidant that boosts performance in the liver, into the fetal liver, it did not reproduce the results of SOD3. This suggests the naturally produced SOD3 from exercise during pregnancy is pivotal for the offspring’s metabolic wellbeing. Implications for the future Given the simplicity and cost-effectiveness of exercise, encouraging mothers to exercise could help reverse the alarming rates of obesity and type-2 diabetes. Moreover, the merits of SOD3 may not be limited to the metabolism stresses Kusuyama. “There may be wider benefits of this protein on other organs in the child. We are currently looking into the modifications in placenta tissue brought about by SOD3 that may have positive lifelong impacts on children.” The authors caution the study is only at the preclinical stage and its applicability to humans requires further studies. Additionally, certain aspects of the signaling pathway require further investigation. Publication Details Joji Kusuyama, Nathan S. Makarewicz, Brent G. Albertson, Ana Barbara Alves-Wagner, Royce H. Conlin, Noah B Prince, Christiano R. R. Alves, Krithika Ramachandran, Chisayo Kozuka, Yang Xiudong, Yang Xia, Michael F. Hirshman, Toshihisa Hatta, Ryoichi Nagatomi, Eva S. Nozik, and Laurie J. Goodyear Diabetes "Maternal exercise-induced SOD3 reverses the deleterious effects of maternal high fat diet on offspring metabolism through stabilization of H3K4me3 and protection against WDR82 carbonylation" DOI: 10.2337/db21-0706 https://doi.org/10.2337/db21-0706 Press Release: Tohoku University https://www.tohoku.ac.jp/en/press/exercise_during_pregnancy_reduces_the_risk_of_type2diabetes.html
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Information2022.03.01
Outline We invite proposals for interdisciplinary themes and subjects by young researchers for “FRIS Creative Interdisciplinary Collaboration Program”. Submitted proposals are to be reviewed by FRIS committee. We appreciate your application based on original ideas and new points of view. Research budget 1,000,000 yen for each fiscal year. Eligible research group for application A research group should consist of at least two members. Assistant professor in FRIS must apply this program as a principal researcher. Eligibility and How to apply Principal researcher (Research representative) should be an assistant professor in FRIS. Applicants should fill in the application form (A4 2 pages) and follow directions. Upload the PDF file through the following URL: URL: https://forms.gle/NM3CTqJHS7QhhAGL6 Deadline April 15th 2022, 17:00. For details please see the application guidelines. Guidelines(PDF) Application(word) Contact Prof. Saida, (call extension 92-5752 or e-mail to @ ) Specially assigned associate professor Suzuki, (call extension 92-4353 or e-mail to @).
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Information2022.03.01
Outline One of the objectives of Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Sciences (FRIS) is adoption and promotion for basic research themes beyond the typical disciplines. FRIS has basic experiment facilities and devices to meet the demand of interdisciplinary studies. We invite proposals for interdisciplinary themes and subjects in order to support the seminal studies of 6 domains of (1) Materials and Energy, (2) Life and Environmental science, (3) Information and Systems, (4) Device technology, (5) Human and Society, (6) Advanced basic science for “FRIS Creative Interdisciplinary Research Program”. Submitted proposals are to be reviewed by FRIS committee.We encourage application from young researchers such as assistant prof., lecturer, associate prof. We appreciate your application based on new original ideas and new points of view. Research budget 1,000,000 yen for each fiscal year. Qualification requirements Principal researcher (Research representative) should be a member of Tohoku University except FRIS as assistant professor, lecturer and associate professor. Especially, we encourage application from young researchers. Eligibility and How to apply Principal researcher (Research representative) should be a member of Tohoku University except FRIS as assistant professor, lecturer and associate professor. Especially, we encourage application from young researchers. Applicants should fill in the application form (A4 2 pages) and follow directions. Upload the PDF file through the following URL: URL: https://forms.gle/AcTHRvNMmKB9LUp26 Deadline April 15th 2022, 17:00. For details please see the application guidelines. Guidelines(PDF) Application(word) Contact Prof. Saida, (call extension 92-5752 or e-mail to @ ) Specially assigned associate professor Suzuki, (call extension 92-4353 or e-mail to @).
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Topics2022.02.09
Integrative actuators and sensors within a single active device offer compelling capabilities for developing robotics, prosthetic limbs, and minimally invasive surgical tools. But instrumenting these devices at the microscale is constrained by current manufacturing technologies. Now, a team of researchers has developed a flexible polymer-based actuatable fiber which is capable of being integrated with smart materials and biosensing composite materials. The technology may lead to technological advancements in soft and flexible robotic fields, which could open possibilities for achieving closed-loop control for high-precision operations. Details of their research were published in ACS Applied Engineering Materials on January 23, 2023. Figure: Active fiber fabricated by the thermal drawing. (Credit: Sato et al.) Dr. Yuanyuan Guo, who is an associate professor at Tohoku University’s Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Sciences (FRIS), led the team. “Our microscale fiber, integrated with actuating and sensing functions, could enable the use of smart catheters,” says Guo. The team produced the fiber by applying the preform-to-fiber thermal drawing process. The telecommunication industry has employed thermal drawing to produce optical fibers and, more recently, to fabricate multi-material and multifunctional fibers for biomedical applications. Although many important functions, such as electrodes, optics, and channels, can be incorporated within fibers, they are limited to passive modalities. To deliver a workaround to this limitation, the team embedded shape-memory alloy (SMA) wires. The shape-memory effect of the SMA’s enabled fibers with high mechanical actuation. Additionally, they integrated the fiber with carbon-based composite materials to enable biochemical sensing. The sensors were capable of intrinsically high sensitivity towards electroactive molecules. Utilizing a bifurcated vessel model, the team also succeeded in using the actuatable fiber sensor to approach branched vessels and capture localized chemical information for diagnostic purposes. Looking ahead, Guo and her team hope to improve the fiber’s freedom of movement. Publication Details Yuichi Sato, Yuanyuan Guo* (*corresponding author) “Shape-memory-alloys enabled actuatable fiber sensors via the preform-to-fiber fabrication” ACS Applied Engineering Materials DOI: 10.1021/acsaenm.2c00226 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaenm.2c00226 Press Release: Tohoku University https://www.tohoku.ac.jp/en/press/navigating_complex_biological_systems_with_smart_fibers.html
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Topics2021.12.14
Biophysicists in Japan have found ways to make and manipulate capsule-like DNA structures that could be used in the development of artificial molecular systems. Such systems could function, for example, inside the human body. The study was a collaboration between Yusuke Sato of FRIS, Tohoku University and Masahiro Takinoue of the Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech), and the findings were published in the JACS Au. To make the capsules, the researchers first created two different types of DNA nanostructures. Each type was made using three single-stranded DNA molecules with sticky bits at their ends. Due to differences in their DNA sequences, only similar nanostructures stuck together when the two types were mixed. Sato and Takinoue then combined the nanostructures in solution with an oily mixture of charged and non-charged molecules. The mixture was first heated and then cooled, and finally examined under a microscope. The researchers found that water-in-oil droplets had formed, with the DNA nanostructures accumulating at the water-oil interface. The nanostructures came together in different kinds of patch-like patterns, depending on the concentration of each type relative to the other. The scientists also found that the DNA nanostructures agglomerated in a more homogeneous way when an extra X-shaped DNA nanostructure was added to the mix to connect the two types together. This worked just as well inside lipid vesicles as in water-in-oil droplets. Sato and Takinoue were also able to separate the DNA capsules from the droplets and vesicles without losing their capsule-like shapes. Finally, they were able to open the capsules and degrade them using specific enzymes. The findings demonstrate an approach for constructing and modifying DNA capsules that could have a variety of different functions and purposes. For example, they could be used to carry substances to specific target organs, releasing their cargo when exposed to certain enzymes. They could also be made mobile by using DNA nanostructures that can be manipulated to alter the shapes of the capsules. Or they could be modified with proteins or DNA-based molecular devices to make functional compartmental structures, like cellular membranes. “We believe that functional capsules made from DNA, like the ones we have designed, could provide a new approach for developing capsular structures for artificial cell studies and molecular robotics,” say Sato and Takinoue. The team will next work on inserting different types of cargo into the capsules, including DNA information processors, and releasing them in response to specific stimuli. The DNA microcapsules with patterns made of sequence-designed DNA nanostructures. Publication Details Yusuke Sato, Masahiro Takinoue JACS Au "Capsule-like DNA hydrogels with patterns formed by lateral phase separation of DNA nanostructures" DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.1c00450 https://doi.org/10.1021/jacsau.1c00450 Press Release: Tohoku University https://www.tohoku.ac.jp/en/press/changing_patters_dna_microcapsules.html Tokyo Institute of Technology https://www.titech.ac.jp/english/news/2021/062646