Johns Hopkins University

ChangKyu Yoon

David H Gracias

Thao D Nguyen

Rebecca B Schulman

Angelo Cangialosi

Ruohong Shi

Joshua Fern

The present disclosure provides compositions and methods including modular material controllers that combine amplification with logic, translation of input signals, and response tuning to directly and precisely program dramatic material size changes. In particular, the present disclosure provides locked gels having a polymer with a nucleic acid cross link and a nucleic acid lock in a locked conformation preventing the locked gel from reacting with other nucleic acid sequences and methods of unlocking the locked gels by adding a nucleic acid key to the locked gel or by changing an inactive nucleic acid key into an active nucleic acid key with a trigger.

Molecular DNA strand-displacement controllers for directing material expansion

Described are a combinatorial library of DNA molecules that can induce shape changes within specific regions of hydrogels up to centimeter scales. The DNA molecules include polymerizing hairpins, terminating hairpins, reversal strands, and crosslink nucleic acid sequences.

Programmable soft robot

Growing community of inventors

Timonium, MD, United States of America

ChangKyu Yoon