From DNA Origami to Protein Design: Symmetry-Guided Principles Across Scales

• Presented by Seth Fraden on March 13th 2025

Abstract

Self-assembly principles in DNA origami offer a framework for designing synthetic nanostructures with precise control over geometry and interactions. Our work has demonstrated how modular design and symmetry can drive the formation of icosahedral, cylindrical, and negatively curved architectures, leveraging DNA origami’s ability to encode interaction specificity with sub-nanometer precision. While DNA-based structures are an order of magnitude larger than proteins, we hypothesize that the underlying design rules—balancing geometric constraints and binding specificity—are applicable to de novo protein design.