DNA sewing machine with nanohooks and bobbins
DNA sewing machine
biologynews.net - 2008/July/10
Japanese scientists have made a micro-sized sewing machine to sew long threads of DNA into shape….The new method presented by Kyohei Terao from Kyoto University and colleagues from The University of Tokyo uses micron-sized hooks controlled by lasers to catch and straighten a DNA strand with excellent precision and care. “When a DNA molecule is manipulated and straightened by microhooks and bobbins the gene location can be determined easily with high-spatial resolution ” says Terao...more...
The image of this sewing machine with nanohooks and bobbins had me giggling this morning. However, the Department of MicroEngineering, Kyoto University seems to be quite creative with this method. Rather than looking at my rather silly Photoshops of young Japanese girls with toy sewing machines for DNA, see the original article with a better diagram of the nano-hooks and bobbins at the Journal of ChemScience.
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