Mar 17 2009
A one day symposium on using DNA to build structures and machinery on millionths and billionths of a meter scales will bring leading experts from Denmark and throughout the United States to Duke University on Friday, March 20, 2009.
The field has, for instance, developed ways to combine DNA molecules into the equivalent of Lego blocks, or to fold them into origami-like shapes with the aid of bacterial virus genomes.
Speakers will include Nadrian (Ned) Seeman of New York University, who is considered the father of the field of structural DNA nanotechnology. Others will include the inventors of two chemical variants that mimic natural DNA structures. Also speaking will be the directors of two Danish academic centers. The Danish National Research Foundation is funding the conference.
Two American members of the Center for DNA Nanotechnology at Denmark's Aarhus University, Thom LaBean of Duke and Hao Yan of Arizona State University, are holding the event to increase public awareness.
The symposium will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. March 20 in Auditorium 109 of Duke's Bryan Research Building. Registration is free, and a free lunch will be provided to the first 100 who register via this link events.duke.edu/cdna09.