Our research centers on a long-standing goal: program synthetic DNA to build functional nanodevices that respond to their molecular environment. Leveraging the programmability of DNA base pairing and the logic of natural regulatory mechanisms, we engineer switches, circuits, and nanostructures whose behavior can be precisely controlled by molecular cues, enabling new strategies for biosensing, imaging, and targeted drug delivery.
We design programmable nucleic-acid networks that translate the presence of clinically relevant biomarkers into a measurable signal through in-vitro transcription and translation. By combining the design rules of DNA nanotechnology with the enzymatic machinery of cell-free systems, our networks recognise proteins, small molecules and antibodies and, in response, produce signaling RNAs and proteins.
We program co-transcriptional networks that merge diagnosis and therapy into a single, biomarker-driven nanodevice. The recognition of a disease-specific biomarker triggers the on-demand transcription of therapeutic RNA aptamers, which target cancer cell receptors to block angiogenesis and proliferation. By coupling biomarker sensing to drug production in a single integrated system, we are moving towards all-in-one theranostic platforms opening the way to more personalised treatments.