Nanobiotechnology

News and Updates

nucleic acid nanotechnology illustration

A Revolution Still in the Making: NIST Researchers Chart the Future of Nucleic Acid Nanotechnology

October 27, 2022

Trapped in a microscopic cage made of strands of DNA, molecules of a life-saving drug course through the bloodstream of a cancer patient. Only when receptors on

Sneezes, Rain Clouds and Ink Jets: NIST Improves the Ability of Optical Microscopes to Measure the Volume of Microdroplets

December 20, 2021

Sneezes, rain clouds, and ink jet printers: They all produce or contain liquid droplets so tiny it would take several billion of them to fill a liter bottle

A woman (Diane Nelson) in a mask and lab coat works with plastic test tubes at a lab bench.

Spotlight: Taking a Closer Look at Human Lungs With Postdoctoral Researcher Diane Nelson

December 9, 2021

A breath of fresh air — Diane Nelson recently joined NIST as a postdoctoral researcher, open to opportunities and committed to her craft. The inner workings of

Projects and Programs

PTIR combines the spatial resolution of AFM with the specificity of absorption spectroscopy

Nano-Chemical Imaging and -Spectroscopy (IR, nIR, VIS)

Ongoing

Conventional techniques for analyzing chemical composition, such as infrared (IR) microscopy often miss critically important nanoscale details. To overcome this

Development of surface functionalized engineered nanomaterials for biological applications

Ongoing

The main research theme is the design and implementation of novel surface functionalities on engineered nanomaterials, by chemical approach, for their

Video microscopic image - Rotation and translation.

Control of Magnetic Nanoparticles for Nanoscale Manipulation of Fluids and Materials (Archived)

Completed

Scientists and engineers currently have a growing library of synthetic microscale and nanoscale swimmers which affect the hydrodynamics of their surroundings in

Controlling Microfluidic Cell Cultures

Ongoing

NIST has taken advantage of recent technological advances to develop polymer microfluidic cell culture systems that provide a level of control over the cellular

Publications

Synthesizing the biochemical and semiconductor worlds: the future of nucleic acid nanotechnology

October 13, 2022

Author(s)

Jacob Majikes, James Alexander Liddle

There are few phrases truer for technological soothsaying than "fools rush in where angels fear to tread." Prediction is particularly difficult in the case of

Best practice for improved accuracy: A critical reassessment of van't Hoff analysis of melt curves

June 7, 2022

Author(s)

Jacob Majikes, Michael Zwolak, James Alexander Liddle

Biomolecular, particularly DNA, thermodynamics are frequently determined via van't Hoff analysis of optically-measured melt curves. The popularity of this

A guide to nanoscale IR spectroscopy: resonance enhanced transduction in contact and tapping mode AFM-IR

May 26, 2022

Author(s)

Jeffrey Schwartz, Devon Jakob, Andrea Centrone

Infrared (IR) spectroscopy is a broadly applicable, composition sensitive analytical technique. By leveraging the high spatial resolution of atomic force

Current Nanomaterials Toxicity Testing Needs and Use of New Approach Methodologies Among Selected U.S. Federal Agencies

April 11, 2022

Author(s)

Elijah Petersen, Patricia Ceger, Jayme Coyle, David Allen, Raymond Derk, Natalia Garcia-Reyero, John Gordon, Nicole Kleinstreuer, Joanna Matheson, Danielle McShan, Bryant C. Nelson, Anil Patri, Liying Rojanasakul, Abhilash Sasidharan, Louis Scarano, Xiaoqing Chan

Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) come in a wide array of shapes, sizes, surface coatings, and compositions, and often possess novel or enhanced properties