DNA Nanotechnology · Atlanta, GA

We build nanoscale things with DNA

Designing nanostructures from DNA molecules — for biosensing, drug delivery, nanomachines, and discoveries we haven't imagined yet. Based at Emory University and Georgia Tech.

128+
Publications
2014
Founded
3
Research Areas
NIH · NSF · DOE
Funding
What we do

Three big questions
we're chasing

🧬

Complex DNA Self-Assembly

How do we coax DNA strands into precise 2D and 3D architectures using only base pairing? From origami lattices to brick crystals.

Learn more →
💉

Biological & Biomedical Applications

Can DNA nanostructures detect forces inside cells, deliver drugs precisely, or sense pathogens before symptoms appear?

Learn more →
⚙️

Functional Nanomaterials & Molecular Nanomachines

What happens when you wire DNA origami motors to gold nanoparticles or quantum dots? We're building nano-robots to find out.

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About the Lab

A diverse crew solving nanoscale puzzles

Our lab sits at the intersection of chemistry, biology, and engineering — which means we hire curious people from all those backgrounds. If you're drawn to building things smaller than a virus and answering questions that didn't have answers five years ago, this is your kind of place.

Innovation, curiosity, creativity, and collaboration aren't just values on a poster — they shape how we run lab meetings, mentor students, and write papers together.

Innovation Curiosity Creativity Collaboration Diversity Mentorship

Find Us

📍

Health Sciences Research Building (HSRB)
1760 Haygood Dr NE, Atlanta, GA 30322

🏛

Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering
Emory University & Georgia Tech

Research

Primary Areas of Interest

We use DNA as an engineering material — not just genetic information. Here's where our curiosity is focused right now.

01
Self-Assembly
Complex DNA Self-Assembly

Self-assembly of DNA through Watson-Crick-Franklin base pairing and base stacking interactions lies at the heart of this exciting field. We explore new ways and structures to assemble from DNA using fundamental design principles.

Current projects include DNA origami molds for chiral assembly of nanoparticles, design and assembly of novel DNA lattice structures, and studying and controlling molecular interactions within nanostructures. Our 2012 Science paper on DNA brick crystals established a foundational toolkit still in use worldwide.

02
Biomedical
Biological and Biomedical Applications

DNA being a biomolecule creates unlimited opportunities for using nanostructures in biological and biomedical systems. We develop nanostructures for bio-sensing, delivery systems, and studying the small but powerful forces that drive processes in living systems.

Active projects include a shear stress sensing DNA nano reporter, studying mechanosensitive protein interactions, building hybrid nanostructures branching into synthetic biology, and developing biosensors for SARS-CoV-2 and drug delivery systems.

03
Nanomaterials
Functional Nanomaterials & Molecular Nanomachines

We create smart hybrid systems that harness the potential of different functional materials. We've built nano systems including DNA origami motors and nano actuators, combining DNA nanotechnology with gold nanoparticles, quantum dots, and bionanomaterials.

Current projects include co-assembly of DNA with peptides, use of DNA nanostructures to capture and organize carbon nanotubes and conductive proteins, and fabrication of patterned surfaces with DNA origami.

Publications

130+ Papers & Counting

From Science and Nature to specialized journals across chemistry, materials, and biomedical engineering.

Landmark Publications
Nature2017

Programmable self-assembly of three-dimensional nanostructures from 10,000 unique components

L L Ong, N Hanikel, O K Yaghi, et al. · the most compositionally complex DNA nanostructure system reported to date

Science2012

Three-Dimensional Structures Self-Assembled from DNA Bricks

Y Ke, L L Ong, W M Shih, P Yin · introduced the modular "DNA brick" toolkit now used worldwide

Science2008

Self-Assembled Water-Soluble Nucleic Acid Probe Tiles for Label-Free RNA Hybridization Assays

Y Ke, S Lindsay, Y Chang, Y Liu, H Yan · Ke's first Science paper, on label-free RNA detection tiles

Science2017

Reconfiguration of DNA Molecular Arrays Driven by Information Relay

J Song, Z Li, P Wang, et al. · demonstrated dynamic, information-driven reconfiguration of DNA arrays

Nature Chemistry2014

DNA Brick Crystals with Prescribed Depth

Y Ke, L L Ong, W Sun, et al. · extended the brick toolkit to depth-programmable macroscopic crystals

Science2014

Polyhedra Self-Assembled from DNA Tripods and Characterized with 3D DNA-PAINT

R Iinuma, Y Ke, R Jungmann, et al. · paired tripod self-assembly with super-resolution 3D imaging

Complete List, Chronological
2026
130

Tunable Patterning of DNA Origami on Surfaces Using Steric Brushes

S Wang, P A Lin, S Zauscher, G Arya, Y Ke · Angewandte Chemie International Edition, e8367703

129

Expanding DNA alphabet adds a previously unknown dimension to nanostructures

K Zhou, S Hoshika, J Cheng, C Lin, S Benner, Y Ke · Science Advances 12(4), eaeb6713

2025
128

DNA computing function switching by programming base stacking interactions with minimal molecular architecture changes

Y Zhang, B Li, X Liu, X Zheng, S Liu, G Nie, J Yang, Y Ke, S Li, C Zhang · Nature Communications 16(1), 9369

127

Spring-loaded DNA origami arrays as energy-supplied hardware for modular nanorobots

M Pfeiffer, F Cole, D Wang, Y Ke, P Tinnefeld · Science Robotics 10(107), eadu3679

126

Emerging Research on Gene Delivery to the Nucleus via DNA Origami

S Sterling, Y Wei, G Arya, C Castro, Y Ke · JACS Au 5(9), 4155–4164

125

Dynamic DNA superstructures with emergent functions

D Duke, S Sterling, T Teng, A Altunina, I V Martynenko, Y Ke, C E Castro, G Arya · Nanoscale Horizons 2025, DOI: 10.1039/d5nh00436e

124

Modulating transformation of DNA origami nanoarray via sequence design

D Wang, F Cole, M Pfeiffer, M Cao, T Schroder, P Tinnefeld, Y Ke · Nature Communications 16(1), 5626

123

Scaffolding Light-Up Aptamers on DNA Nanostructures for Fluorescence Enhancement

L Shen, D Yang, D Fu, P Wang, Y Ke · ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering 11(7), 4068–4075

122

Self-authenticating genomic materials in Escherichia coli via advanced genome signatures

Z Wang, J Cui, Q Liu, J Li, C Guo, Y Liu, C Jiang, H Xue, J Li, Y Ke, H Qi · Communications Biology 8(1), 762

121

Differential Sensitivity to Interepitope Spacing in Mast Cells and B Cells Enables Design of Hypoallergenic Allergen Vaccine Immunogens

B J Cossette, L Shen, A Bermudez, H Freire Haddad, S Shetty, J Sylvers, F Yuan, Y Ke, J H Collier · ACS Nano 19(16), 15371–15384

120

Two-Dimensional, Chiral Colloidal Superlattices Engineered with DNA Origami

B Dong, X Xu, R Guan, S Jiang, L Ma, H Hu, Y Ke, N Liu, X Lan · Nano Letters 25(14), 5705–5712

119

DNA Origami Colloidal Crystals: Opportunities and Challenges

J Lee, J Kim, G Posnjak, A Ershova, D Hayakawa, W M Shih, W B Rogers, Y Ke, T Liedl, S Lee · Nano Letters 25(1), 16–27

2024
118

Controlled mechanochemical coupling of anti-junctions in DNA origami arrays

F Cole, M Pfeiffer, D Wang, T Schröder, Y Ke, P Tinnefeld · Nature Communications 15(1), 7894

117

Free-Standing DNA Origami Superlattice to Facilitate Cryo-EM Visualization of Membrane Vesicles

N Aissaoui, A Mills, J Lai-Kee-Him, N Triomphe, Q Cece, C Doucet, A Bonhoure, M Vidal, Y Ke, G Bellot · Journal of the American Chemical Society 146(19), 12925–12932

116

DNA-silica nanolattices as mechanical metamaterials

J Kulikowski, S Wang, Z Aitken, J Grimm, B S Gao, M M Wang, D Doan, A C Lee, L Y Shen, W Huang, A Devaraj, Y W Zhang, Y Ke, X W Gu · Matter 7(6), 2144–2160

115

Simulation-Guided Rational Design of DNA Walker-Based Theranostic Platform

J Mou, H Zhang, L Zhang, B Zhang, J Liu, S Zheng, Q Kou, H Wang, X Su, S Guo, Y Ke, Y Zhang · Small 2024, e2400963

114

Mechanism of DNA origami folding elucidated by mesoscopic simulations

M DeLuca, D Duke, T Ye, M Poirier, Y Ke, C Castro, G Arya · Nature Communications 15(1), 3015

113

A Programmable DNAzyme for the Sensitive Detection of Nucleic Acids

C Shi, D Yang, X Ma, L Pan, Y Shao, G Arya, Y Ke, C Zhang, F Wang, X Zuo, M Li, P Wang · Angewandte Chemie 63(12), e202320179

112

DNA-Nanostructure-Guided Assembly of Proteins into Programmable Shapes

Q Lu, Y Xu, E Poppleton, K Zhou, P Sulc, N Stephanopoulos, Y Ke · Nano Letters 24(5), 1703–1709

111

Controlling Silicification on DNA Origami with Polynucleotide Brushes

S Wang, P A Lin, M DeLuca, S Zauscher, G Arya, Y Ke · Journal of the American Chemical Society 146(1), 358–367

2023
110

Dynamic Gold Nanostructures Based on DNA Self Assembly

B Kou, Z Wang, S Mousavi, P Wang, Y Ke · Small 2023, e2308862

109

Detection of cellular traction forces via the force-triggered Cas12a-mediated catalytic cleavage of a fluorogenic reporter strand

Y Duan, F Szlam, Y Hu, W Chen, R Li, Y Ke, R Sniecinski, K Salaita · Nature Biomedical Engineering 7(11), 1404–1418

108

Circular single-stranded DNA as switchable vector for gene expression in mammalian cells

L Tang, Z Tian, J Cheng, Y Zhang, Y Song, Y Liu, J Wang, P Zhang, Y Ke, F C Simmel, J Song · Nature Communications 14(1), 6665

107

Spatiotemporal Control over Polynucleotide Brush Growth on DNA Origami Nanostructures

Y Yang, Q Lu, Y Chen, M DeLuca, G Arya, Y Ke, S Zauscher · Angewandte Chemie 62(48), e202311727

106

A Spatially Programmable DNA Nanorobot Arm to Modulate Anisotropic Gold Nanoparticle Assembly by Enzymatic Excision

J Yang, Y Liang, X Li, Y Zhang, L Qian, Y Ke, C Zhang · Angewandte Chemie 62(43), e202308797

105

Building Large DNA Bundles via Controlled Hierarchical Assembly of DNA Tubes

Y Zhang, D Yang, P Wang, Y Ke · ACS Nano 17(11), 10486–10495

104

DNA origami-designed 3D phononic crystals

S H Park, H Park, J M Nam, Y Ke, T Liedl, Y Tian, S Lee · Nanophotonics 12(13), 2611–2621

103

Recent Advances in DNA Origami-Engineered Nanomaterials and Applications

P Zhan, A Peil, Q Jiang, D Wang, S Mousavi, Q Xiong, Q Shen, Y Shang, B Ding, C Lin, Y Ke, N Liu · Chemical Reviews 123(7), 3976–4050

102

Unraveling mechanotransduction in T cells with DNA nanotechnology

S Sterling, Y Ke · Trends in Chemistry 5(3), 167–169

101

Structure-Dependent Electrical Conductance of DNA Origami Nanowires

J Marrs, Q Lu, V Pan, Y Ke, J Hihath · ChemBioChem 24(2), e202200454

2022
100

Cooperative binding of TCR and CD4 to pMHC enhances TCR sensitivity

M N Rushdi, V Pan, K Li, S Travaglino, H Choi, J Hong, F Griffitts, P Agnihotri, R A Mariuzza, Y Ke, C Zhu · Nature Communications 13, 7055

99

A bistable and reconfigurable molecular system with encodable bonds

C Zhou, D Yang, S Sensale, P Sharma, D Wang, L Yu, G Arya, Y Ke, P Wang · Science Advances 8(46), eade3003

98

Seeded growth of adaptive tiles on DNA origami

Y Liu, J Cheng, Y Wang, B Ji, L Tang, K Zou, Y Xie, D Cui, Y Ke, J Song · Cell Reports Physical Science 3(9), 101040

97

Design of Uracil-Modified DNA Nanotubes for Targeted Drug Release via DNA-Modifying Enzyme Reactions

Y Deng, Y Tan, Y Zhang, L Zhang, C Zhang, Y Ke, X Su · ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 14(30), 34470–34479

96

Stress in DNA Gridiron Facilitates the Formation of Two-Dimensional Crystalline Structures

L Yu, J Cheng, D Wang, V Pan, S Chang, J Song, Y Ke · Journal of the American Chemical Society 144(22), 9747–9752

95

DNA Assembly of Modular Components into a Rotary Nanodevice

A Peil, L Xin, S Both, L Shen, Y Ke, T Weiss, P Zhan, N Liu · ACS Nano 16(4), 5284–5291

94

Programmable allosteric DNA regulations for molecular networks and nanomachines

C Zhang, X Ma, X Zheng, Y Ke, K Chen, D Liu, Z Lu, J Yang, H Yan · Science Advances 8(5), eabl4589

93

Shaped DNA origami carrier nanopore translocation influenced by aptamer based surface modification

T Ding, J Yang, J Wang, V Pan, Z Lu, Y Ke, C Zhang · Biosensors and Bioelectronics 195, 113658

92

Spatiotemporal Control of Molecular Cascade Reactions by a Reconfigurable DNA Origami Domino Array

S Fan, B Ji, Y Liu, K Zou, Z Tian, B Dai, D Cui, P Zhang, Y Ke, J Song · Angewandte Chemie 61(9), e202116324

2021
91

Blockade of glutamine-dependent cell survival augments antitumor efficacy of CPI-613 in head and neck cancer

L Lang, F Wang, Z Ding, X Zhao, R Loveless, J Xie, C Shay, P Qiu, Y Ke, N F Saba, Y Teng · Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research 40(1), 393

90

Massively Parallelized Molecular Force Manipulation with On-Demand Thermal and Optical Control

H Su, J M Brockman, Y Duan, N Sen, H Chhabra, A Bazrafshan, A T Blanchard, T Meyer, B Andrews, J P K Doye, Y Ke, R B Dyer, K Salaita · Journal of the American Chemical Society 143(46), 19466–19473

89

Divalent Multilinking Bonds Control Growth and Morphology of Nanopolymers

Y Xiong, Z Lin, D Mostarac, B Minevich, Q Peng, G Zhu, P A Sanchez, S Kantorovich, Y Ke, O Gang · Nano Letters 21(24), 10547–10554

88

Monochromatic Fluorescent Barcodes Hierarchically Assembled from Modular DNA Origami Nanorods

V Pan, W Wang, I Heaven, T Bai, Y Cheng, C Chen, Y Ke, B Wei · ACS Nano 15(10), 15892–15901

87

Programmable Site-Specific Functionalization of DNA Origami with Polynucleotide Brushes

Y Yang, Q Lu, C M Huang, H Qian, Y Zhang, S Deshpande, G Arya, Y Ke, S Zauscher · Angewandte Chemie 60(43), 23241–23247

86

Mechanically Triggered Hybridization Chain Reaction

Y Duan, R Glazier, A Bazrafshan, Y Hu, S A Rashid, B G Petrich, Y Ke, K Salaita · Angewandte Chemie 60(36), 19974–19981

85

DNA-Grafted 3D Superlattice Self-Assembly

S Wang, X Xie, Z Chen, N Ma, X Zhang, K Li, C Teng, Y Ke, Y Tian · International Journal of Molecular Sciences 22(14), 7558

84

DNA Nanotechnology-Based Biosensors and Therapeutics

L Shen, P Wang, Y Ke · Advanced Healthcare Materials 10(15), 2002205

83

DNA origami single crystals with Wulff shapes

Y Wang, L Dai, Z Ding, M Ji, J Liu, H Xing, X Liu, Y Ke, C Fan, P Wang, Y Tian · Nature Communications 12(1), 3011

82

Accurate genotyping of fragmented DNA using a toehold assisted padlock probe

Y Gao, H Qiao, V Pan, Z Wang, J Li, Y Wei, Y Ke, H Qi · Biosensors and Bioelectronics 179, 113079

81

High-Throughput Dielectrophoretic Trapping and Detection of DNA Origami

T Ghomian, H Jeong, V Pan, K Celik, M Alangari, Y Ke, J Hihath · Advanced Materials Interfaces 8(5), 2001476

80

Programmable transformations of DNA origami made of small modular dynamic units

D Wang, L Yu, C M Huang, G Arya, S Chang, Y Ke · Journal of the American Chemical Society 143(5), 2256–2263

2020
79

Hierarchical Fabrication of DNA Wireframe Nanoarchitectures for Efficient Cancer Imaging and Targeted Therapy

D Wang, R Peng, Y Peng, Z Deng, F Xu, Y Su, P Wang, L Li, X Q Wang, Y Ke, W Tan · ACS Nano 14(12), 17365–17375

78

DNA Origami-Enabled Biosensors

S Wang, Z Zhou, N Ma, S Yang, K Li, C Teng, Y Ke, Y Tian · Sensors 20(23), 6899

77

DNA Origami Guided Self-Assembly of Plasmonic Polymers with Robust Long-Range Plasmonic Resonance

P Wang, J H Huh, H Park, D Yang, Y Zhang, Y Zhang, J Lee, S Lee, Y Ke · Nano Letters 20(12), 8926–8932

76

Low-Bias Manipulation of DNA Oligo Pool for Robust Data Storage

Y Gao, X Chen, H Qiao, Y Ke, H Qi · ACS Synthetic Biology 9(12), 3344–3352

75

Programming the Curvatures in Reconfigurable DNA Domino Origami by Using Asymmetric Units

D Wang, L Yu, B Ji, S Chang, J Song, Y Ke · Nano Letters 20(11), 8236–8241

74

Engineering Organization of DNA Nano-Chambers through Dimensionally Controlled and Multi-Sequence Encoded Differentiated Bonds

Z Lin, H Emamy, B Minevich, Y Xiong, S Xiang, S K Kumar, Y Ke, O Gang · Journal of the American Chemical Society 142(41), 17531–17542

73

Modular Reconfigurable DNA Origami: From Two-Dimensional to Three-Dimensional Structures

Y Liu, J Cheng, S Fan, H Ge, T Luo, L Tang, B Ji, C Zhang, D Cui, Y Ke, J Song · Angewandte Chemie 59(51), 23277–23282

72

Live-cell super-resolved PAINT imaging of piconewton cellular traction forces

J M Brockman, H Su, A T Blanchard, Y Duan, T Meyer, M E Quach, R Glazier, A Bazrafshan, R L Bender, A V Kellner, H Ogasawara, R Ma, F Schueder, B G Petrich, R Jungmann, R Li, A L Mattheyses, Y Ke, K Salaita · Nature Methods 17(10), 1018–1024

71

Proximity-Induced Pattern Operations in Reconfigurable DNA Origami Domino Array

S Fan, J Cheng, Y Liu, D Wang, T Luo, B Dai, C Zhang, D Cui, Y Ke, J Song · Journal of the American Chemical Society 142(34), 14566–14573

70

Interfacially Bridging Covalent Network Yields Hyperstable and Ultralong Virus-Based Fibers for Engineering Functional Materials

K Zhou, Y Zhou, H Yang, H Jin, Y Ke, Q Wang · Angewandte Chemie 59(41), 18249–18255

69

Programmable Assembly of Gold Nanoparticle Nanoclusters and Lattices

L Shen, V Pan, H Li, Y Zhang, P Wang, Y Ke · Journal of Materials Chemistry B 8(31), 6810–6813

68

Information Coding in Reconfigurable DNA Origami Domino Array

S Fan, D Wang, J Cheng, Y Liu, T Luo, D Cui, Y Ke, J Song · Angewandte Chemie 59(31), 12991–12997

67

Programming Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering of DNA Origami-templated Metamolecules

C Zhou, Y Yang, H Li, F Gao, C Song, D Yang, F Xu, N Liu, Y Ke, S Su, P Wang · Nano Letters 20(5), 3155–3159

66

Programmable Assembly of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles using DNA Origami

T A Meyer, C Zhang, G Bao, Y Ke · Nano Letters 20(4), 2799–2805

65

Programming Dynamic Assembly of Viral Proteins with DNA Origami

K Zhou, Y Zhou, V Pan, Q Wang, Y Ke · Journal of the American Chemical Society 142(13), 5929–5932

64

DNA nanotechnology assisted nanopore-based analysis

T Ding, J Yang, V Pan, N Zhao, Z Lu, Y Ke, C Zhang · Nucleic Acids Research 48(6), 2791–2806

63

Programming the Nucleation of DNA Brick Self-Assembly with a Seeding Strand

Y Zhang, A Reinhardt, P Wang, J Song, Y Ke · Angewandte Chemie 59(22), 8594–8600

62

Tunable DNA Origami Motors Translocate Ballistically Over μm Distances at nm/s Speeds

A Bazrafshan, T Meyer, H Su, J M Brockman, A T Blanchard, S Piranej, Y Duan, Y Ke, K Salaita · Angewandte Chemie 59(24), 9514–9521

61

RNA imaging in living mice enabled by an in vivo hybridization chain reaction circuit with a tripartite DNA probe

H Wu, T T Chen, X N Wang, Y Ke, J H Jiang · Chemical Science 11(1), 62–69

60

Electrostatic Complementarity Drives Amyloid/Nucleic Acid Co-Assembly

A K Rha, D Das, O Taran, Y Ke, A K Mehta, D G Lynn · Angewandte Chemie 59(1), 358–363

2019
59

Programming DNA Tube Circumference by Tile Offset Connection

Y Zhang, X Chen, G Kang, R Peng, V Pan, R Sundaresan, P Wang, Y Ke · Journal of the American Chemical Society 141(50), 19529–19532

58

DNA-Guided Assembly of Molecules, Materials, and Cells

D Yang, C Zhou, F Gao, P Wang, Y Ke · Advanced Intelligent Systems 2(1), 1900101

57

Nicking-Assisted Reactant Recycle to Implement Entropy-Driven DNA Circuit

C Zhang, Z Wang, Y Liu, J Yang, X Zhang, Y Li, L Pan, Y Ke, H Yan · Journal of the American Chemical Society 141(43), 17189–17197

56

Self-Assembly of DNA-Minocycline Complexes by Metal Ions with Controlled Drug Release

T Zhang, J Nong, N Alzahrani, Z Wang, S W Oh, T Meier, D G Yang, Y Ke, Y Zhong, J Fu · ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 11(33), 29512–29521

55

Magnetic Plasmon Networks Programmed by Molecular Self-Assembly

P Wang, J H Huh, J Lee, K Kim, K J Park, S Lee, Y Ke · Advanced Materials 31(29), 1901364

54

Hierarchical Self-Assembly of Cholesterol-DNA Nanorods

Y Zhang, R Peng, F Xu, Y Ke · Bioconjugate Chemistry 30(7), 1845–1849

53

Biomimetic Compartments Scaffolded by Nucleic Acid Nanostructures

J Fu, S W Oh, K Monckton, G Arbuckle-Keil, Y Ke, T Zhang · Small 15(26), 1900256

52

Dynamic DNA Structures

Y Zhang, V Pan, X Li, X Yang, H Li, P Wang, Y Ke · Small 15(26), 1900228

51

Complex wireframe DNA nanostructures from simple building blocks

W Wang, S Chen, B An, K Huang, T Bai, M Xu, G Bellot, Y Ke, Y Xiang, B Wei · Nature Communications 10(1), 1067

2018
50

Attack on the Cell Membrane: The Pointy Ends of DNA Nanostructures Lead the Way

P Wang, Y Ke · ACS Central Science 4(10), 1298–1299

49

Design and operation of reconfigurable two-dimensional DNA molecular arrays

D Wang, J Song, P Wang, V Pan, Y Zhang, D Cui, Y Ke · Nature Protocols 13(10), 2312

48

Selective in Situ Assembly of Viral Protein onto DNA Origami

K Zhou, Y Ke, Q Wang · Journal of the American Chemical Society 140(26), 8074–8077

47

Programmable multivalent DNA-origami tension probes for reporting cellular traction forces

P K Dutta, Y Zhang, A Blanchard, C Ge, M Rushdi, K Weiss, C Zhu, Y Ke, K Salaita · Nano Letters 18(8), 4803–4811

46

Advanced Cell and Tissue Biomanufacturing

K Ye, D L Kaplan, G Bao, C Bettinger, G Forgacs, C Dong, A Khademhosseini, Y Ke, K Leong, A Sambanis, W Sun, P Yin · ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering 4(7), 2292–2307

45

Structural DNA Nanotechnology: Artificial Nanostructures for Biomedical Research

Y Ke, C Castro, J H Choi · Annual Review of Biomedical Engineering 20(1), 375–401

44

Visualization of the Cellular Uptake and Trafficking of DNA Origami Nanostructures in Cancer Cells

P Wang, M A Rahman, Z Zhao, K Weiss, C Zhang, Z Chen, S J Hurwitz, Z G Chen, D M Shin, Y Ke · Journal of the American Chemical Society 140(7), 2478–2484

2017
43

Practical aspects of structural and dynamic DNA nanotechnology

P Wang, G Chatterjee, H Yan, T H LaBean, A J Turberfield, C E Castro, G Seelig, Y Ke · MRS Bulletin 42(12), 889–896

42

Programmable self-assembly of three-dimensional nanostructures from 10,000 unique components

L L Ong, N Hanikel, O K Yaghi, C Grun, M T Strauss, P Bron, J Lai-Kee-Him, F Schueder, B Wang, P Wang, J Y Kishi, C Myhrvold, A Zhu, R Jungmann, G Bellot, Y Ke, P Yin · Nature 552, 72–77

41

Systemic Delivery of siRNA by DNA Nanoparticles Targeting Bcl2 in Cancer Cell Growth

M A Rahman, P Wang, Z Zhao, D Wang, S Nannapaneni, C Zhang, Z Chen, C C Griffith, S J Hurwitz, Z G Chen, Y Ke, D M Shin · Angewandte Chemie 56(50), 16023–16027

40

Programmable Supra-Assembly of DNA Surface Adapter for Tunable Chiral Directional Self-Assembly of Gold Nanorods

X Lan, Z Su, Y Zhou, T Meyer, Y Ke, Q Wang, W Chiu, N Liu, S Zou, H Yan, Y Liu · Angewandte Chemie 56(46), 14632–14636

39

Structurally Ordered Nanowire Formation from Co-Assembly of DNA Origami and Collagen-Mimetic Peptides

T Jiang, T Meyer, C Modlin, X Zou, V P Conticello, Y Ke · Journal of the American Chemical Society 139(40), 14025

38

Template-free reconstruction of nanomolecular structures from nanoscopy images with isotropic 3D resolution

D Salas, A Le Gall, J B Fiche, A Valeri, Y Ke, P Bron, G Bellot, M Nollmann · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 114(35), 9273–9278

37

Reconfiguration of DNA Molecular Arrays Driven by Information Relay

J Song, Z Li, P Wang, T Meyer, C Mao, Y Ke · Science 357(6349)

36

The Beauty and Utility of DNA Origami

P Wang, T A Meyer, V Pan, P K Dutta, Y Ke · Chem 2(3), 239

35

Reconfigurable Three-Dimensional Gold Nanorod Plasmonic Nanostructures Organized on DNA Origami Tripod

P Zhan, P K Dutta, P Wang, G Song, M Dai, S Zhao, Z Wang, P Yin, W Zhang, B Ding, Y Ke · ACS Nano 11(2), 1172–1179

2016
34

Programming Self-Assembly of DNA Origami Honeycomb Two-Dimensional Lattices and Plasmonic Metamaterials

P Wang, S Gaitanaros, S Lee, M Bathe, W M Shih, Y Ke · Journal of the American Chemical Society 138(24), 7733

33

Plasmonic Toroidal Metamolecules Assembled by DNA Origami

M J Urban, P K Dutta, P Wang, X Duan, X Shen, B Ding, Y Ke, N Liu · Journal of the American Chemical Society 138(17), 5495

32

Regulation at a distance of biomolecular interactions using a DNA origami nanoactuator

Y Ke, T Meyer, W M Shih, G Bellot · Nature Communications 7, 10935

31

Programmable DNA Hydrogels Assembled from Multi-Domain DNA Strands

H Jiang, V Pan, S Vivek, E R Weeks, Y Ke · ChemBioChem 17, 1156–1162

30

Site-Specific Surface Functionalization of Gold Nanorods Using DNA Origami Clamps

C Shen, X Lan, X Lu, T A Meyer, W Ni, Y Ke, Q Wang · Journal of the American Chemical Society 138(6), 1764–1767

2015
29

Nucleic Acid Based Nanoreactors — Toward the Study of Multienzymatic Pathways

P K Dutta, T A Meyer, Y Ke · Advanced Science, Engineering and Medicine 7(12), 1009–1018

28

Prescribed nanoparticle cluster architectures and low-dimensional arrays built using octahedral DNA origami frames

Y Tian, T Wang, W Liu, H Xin, H Li, Y Ke, W Shih, O Gang · Nature Nanotechnology 10(7), 637–644

27

Au Nanorod Helical Superstructures with Designed Chirality

X Lan, X Lu, C Shen, Y Ke, W Ni, Q Wang · Journal of the American Chemical Society 137(1), 457–462

2014
26

DNA Brick Crystals with Prescribed Depth

Y Ke, L L Ong, W Sun, J Song, M Dong, W M Shih, P Yin · Nature Chemistry 6, 994–1002

25

Designer three-dimensional DNA architectures

Y Ke · Current Opinion in Structural Biology 27C, 122–128

24

Polyhedra Self-Assembled from DNA Tripods and Characterized with 3D DNA-PAINT

R Iinuma, Y Ke, R Jungmann, T Schlichthaerle, J Woehrstein, P Yin · Science 344, 65–69

23

DNA Origami Structures Directly Assembled from Intact Bacteriophages

P Nickels, Y Ke, R Jungmann, D Smith, M Leichsenring, W Shih, T Liedl, B Hogberg · Small 10, 1765–1769

2013
22

Design Space for Complex DNA Structures

B Wei, M Dai, C Myhrvold, Y Ke, R Jungmann, P Yin · Journal of the American Chemical Society 135, 18080–18088

21

Metalized DNA Nanolithography for Encoding and Transferring Spatial Information for Graphene Patterning

Z Jin, W Sun, Y Ke, C Shih, G L C Paulus, Q H Wang, B Mu, P Yin, M S Strano · Nature Communications 4, 1663–1671

2012
20

Three-Dimensional Structures Self-Assembled from DNA Bricks

Y Ke, L L Ong, W M Shih, P Yin · Science 338, 1177–1183

19

Two Design Strategies for Enhancement of Multilayer-DNA-Origami Folding: Underwinding for Specific Intercalator Rescue and Staple-Break Positioning

Y Ke, G Bellot, N Voigt, E Fradkov, W Shih · Chemical Science 3, 2587–2597

18

Multilayer DNA Origami Packed on Hexagonal and Hybrid Lattices

Y Ke, N V Voigt, K V Gothelf, W M Shih · Journal of the American Chemical Society 134, 1770–1774

2009
17

Multilayer DNA Origami Packed on a Square Lattice

Y Ke, S M Douglas, M Liu, J Sharma, A Cheng, A Leung, Y Liu, W M Shih, H Yan · Journal of the American Chemical Society 131, 15903–15908

16

Scaffolded DNA Origami of a DNA Tetrahedron Molecular Container

Y Ke, J Sharma, M Liu, K Jahn, Y Liu, H Yan · Nano Letters 9, 2445–2447

15

Controlled Delivery of DNA Origami on Patterned Surfaces

A E Gerdon, S S Oh, K Hsieh, Y Ke, H Yan, H T Soh · Small 5, 1942–1946

14

Mirror Image DNA Nanostructures for Chiral Supramolecular Assemblies

C Lin, Y Ke, Z Li, J H Wang, Y Liu, H Yan · Nano Letters 9, 433–436

2008
13

Self-Assembled Water-Soluble Nucleic Acid Probe Tiles for Label-Free RNA Hybridization Assays

Y Ke, S Lindsay, Y Chang, Y Liu, H Yan · Science 319, 180–183

12

Developing DNA Tiles for Oligonucleotide Hybridization Assay with Higher Accuracy and Efficiency

Y Ke, J Nangreave, H Yan, S Lindsay, Y Liu · Chemical Communications 5622–5624

11

Self-assembled DNA Nanostructures for Distance-Dependent Multivalent Ligand-Protein Binding

S Rinker, Y Ke, Y Liu, R Chhabra, H Yan · Nature Nanotechnology 3, 418–422

10

DNA-Tile-Directed Self-Assembly of Quantum Dots into Two-Dimensional Nanopatterns

J Sharma, Y Ke, C Lin, R Chhabra, Q Wang, J Nangreave, Y Liu, H Yan · Angewandte Chemie 47, 5157–5159

9

Quantum Dot Bioconjugation during Core-Shell Synthesis

Q Wang, Y Liu, Y Ke, H Yan · Angewandte Chemie 47, 316–319

8

Subtractive Assembly of DNA Nanoarchitectures Driven by Fuel Strand Displacement

Z Li, Y Ke, C Lin, H Yan, Y Liu · Chemical Communications 4318–4320

2007
7

Functional DNA Nanotube Arrays: Bottom-Up Meets Top-Down

C Lin, Y Ke, Y Liu, M Mertig, J Gu, H Yan · Angewandte Chemie 46, 6089–6092

6

Spatially Addressable Multiprotein Nanoarrays Templated by Aptamer-Tagged DNA Nanoarchitectures

R Chhabra, J Sharma, Y Ke, Y Liu, S Rinker, S Lindsay, H Yan · Journal of the American Chemical Society 129, 10304–10305

2006
5

A Study of DNA Tube Formation Mechanisms Using 4-, 8-, and 12-Helix DNA Nanostructures

Y Ke, Y Liu, J Zhang, H Yan · Journal of the American Chemical Society 128, 4414–4421

4

Periodic Square-Like Gold Nanoparticle Arrays Templated by Self-Assembled 2D DNA Nanogrids on a Surface

J Zhang, Y Liu, Y Ke, H Yan · Nano Letters 6, 248–251

3

DNA Nanotechnology: A Rapidly Evolving Field

K Lund, B Williams, Y Ke, Y Liu, H Yan · Current Nanoscience 2, 113–122

2

DNA-Templated Self-Assembly of Two-Dimensional and Periodical Gold Nanoparticle Arrays

J Sharma, R Chhabra, Y Liu, Y Ke, H Yan · Angewandte Chemie 45, 730–735

2005
1

Self-Assembly of Symmetric Finite-Size DNA Nanoarrays

Y Liu, Y Ke, H Yan · Journal of the American Chemical Society 127, 17140–17141

People · PI
Yonggang Ke

Yonggang Ke, PhD

Associate Professor · Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of BME

Yonggang Ke is an Associate Professor at the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology.

He received his BS in Chemistry from Peking University in 1999 and his PhD in Chemistry from Arizona State University in 2009, under the mentorship of Professor Hao Yan. From 2009 to 2014, he was a postdoctoral researcher at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Wyss Institute at Harvard University with Professor William Shih and Professor Peng Yin.

He joined Emory in 2014 to start his lab of DNA nanotechnology, working on bio-inspired programmable nanomaterial self-assembly and its applications for molecular biophysics, therapeutics, and material science.

National Science Foundation CAREER Award

NIGMS MIRA Award (1R35GM153472) — DNA nanodevices for lymphocyte interrogation

Research funding from NSF, NIH, DOE, and TSMC

People · Lab Members

The Team

Postdocs, PhD students, and undergrads from chemistry, biomedical engineering, and beyond.

Luyao Shen

Luyao Shen, PhD

Post-doctoral Fellow

Shikufa Mousavi

Shikufa Mousavi

PhD Student

Yoonhae Koh

Yoonhae Koh

PhD Student

Haozhi Wang

Haozhi Wang, PhD

Post-doctoral Fellow

Tram Nguyen

Tram Nguyen

PhD Student

Reane Choi

Reane Choi

Undergraduate Student

Sierra Sterling

Sierra Sterling

PhD Student

Manash Monjit Saikia

Manash Monjit Saikia

PhD Student

Chenyun Sun

Chenyun Sun

Post-doctoral Fellow

Andrew Chen

Andrew Chen

Undergraduate Student

Diya Nath

Diya Nath

Undergraduate Intern, University of Arizona

People · Alumni

Previous Members

Lab alumni who have gone on to great things.

Daniel Fu, PhD2025–2026PostdocSenior Data Scientist at Microsoft
Breana Laguera, PhD2023–2025PhD StudentDevelopment Scientist at nanoComposix | Fortis Life Sciences
Yunlong Zhang, PhD2018–2024PhD StudentLecturer at School of Nursing, Qingdao Binhai University
Shuang Wang, PhD2021–2023PostdocProfessor at Ocean University of China
Qinyi Lu, PhD2018–2023PhD StudentSenior Scientist at Argo Biopharma
Kun Zhou, PhD2018–2021PostdocPostdoc at Yale University (2021)
Palash Dutta, PhD2014–2016PostdocPostdoc at Boston University (2016)
Pengfei Wang, PhD2014–2019PostdocProfessor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University (2019)
Travis Meyer, PhD2014–2019PhD StudentLecturer at Rutgers University (2019)
Shirin Kale2014–2015UndergraduateBiomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
Ruifu (Jasper) Shi2014–2015UndergraduateBiomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
Victor Pan, PhD2015–2020PhD StudentPostdoc at Emory University (2020)
Huiling Jiang, PhD2015–2016Research AssistantChief Marketing Officer at Advanced BioChemicals (2016)
Jie Song, PhD2015–2017PostdocProfessor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University (2017)
Cheikh Tidiane Diagne2015Visiting ScholarCEA (Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives), France
Shao Shu, PhD2015–2016Visiting ProfessorNanjing University of Posts & Telecommunications
Kristin Weiss2016–2018UndergraduateBiomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
Jun Yan2016Visiting UndergraduateTsinghua University
William Cooper2016–2017High School Student
Yingwei Zhang, PhD2017–2019Visiting ProfessorBeijing University of Chemical Technology
Gloria Chan2017–2018UndergraduateBiomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
Fengyuan Xu2018–2020UndergraduateBiomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
Aniket Venkatesh2020UndergraduateBiomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
Ruizi Peng, PhD2017–2019Visiting Graduate StudentChemistry, Hunan University
Han Wu2018–2019Visiting Graduate StudentChemistry, Hunan University
Kun Zhao2019–2020PhD StudentBiomedical Engineering, Peking University
Chunyang Zhou, PhD2019–2020Postdoc
Lei Yu2019–2020Visiting Graduate StudentWuhan University of Science and Technology
News

Lab News

Apr 1, 2024

NIH Award

Dr. Ke received a NIGMS MIRA award (1R35GM153472) for developing DNA nanodevices for molecular interrogation and regulation of lymphocytes in the adaptive immune system.

Sep 1, 2023

NSF Grant

Led by Prof. Joshua Hihath at Arizona State University, our team was awarded a four-year grant (ECCS-2328217) by the NSF Future Manufacturing program.

Aug 10, 2023

NIH Center Grant

Led by Prof. Khalid Salaita at Emory, our team was awarded a five-year NIGMS center grant (RM1GM145394) for developing technologies to study mechanobiology and mechanotransduction pathways in living cells.

Aug 1, 2023

Industry Partnership

We were awarded a three-year grant from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) for using DNA-based precision assembly for manufacturing carbon nanotube arrays.

Sep 13, 2022

NSF Grant

Led by Prof. Andrew Ellington at UT Austin, we were awarded a three-year NSF grant (CCF-2227399) for precision assembly and electronic properties of protein nanowire circuits using DNA origami.

Gallery

Photos

A look at life in the lab — click any photo to view it full-size and download it.

Work
Fun