Stimuli-Responsive DNA Device for Biomedical Applications

In recent times, biomolecules have been an integral component for impregnating structural and functional information into modified materials utilized for making stimuli-responsive biomedical devices. Exploring this technology, base sequences of oligonucleotides can be used to reconstruct various 2D and 3D products, having an array of clinical functionality. They can respond to multiple stimuli systems upon exposure to common environmental and physiological triggers like enzymes, heat, metal ions, and pH conditions. Thus, DNA nanotechnology is a promising new pathway of systems that are being used to manufacture dynamically configurable devices. The DNA self-assembly property on the nanoscale level tends to contribute to this profitable attribute of the same. Hence, stimuli-responsive DNA-based devices have been recently used in various fields for diagnostics, therapy, drug delivery, sensing, and computation. There is a wide range of applications and outreach of these devices in point-of-care (POC) devices and molecular sensing techniques. DNA-based structures have made structural programmability, chemical durability, non-toxicity, and biocompatibility accessible in these DNA-based devices. In spite of the ever-growing nature of this field, there are challenges faced in the efficiency, reversibility, and functionality of DNA nanodevices. Various steps and precautions are considered for the development and advancement of these devices. The chapter tries to encompass the developmental strategies related to stimuli-responsive DNA devices having multimodal applications in the biomedical sector and the challenges faced in this growing area of study and research.