Biomod/2011/TeamJapan/Tokyo

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Project title

• DNA ciliate - the giant molecular robot

Abstract

• A living cell is an ultimate highly-functional molecular robot. The high functionality is caused by not only their various nanometer-sized functional molecules but also its “micrometer-sized” body that can possess the molecules. However, the size of already-developed molecular nano-robots is too small to include multiple functions. Toward highly-functional molecular robots, it is acquired to construct molecular robots with micrometer-sized body. Here, we propose an autonomous DNA molecular robot “DNA ciliate”. A natural ciliate has a micrometer-sized body with cilia and achieves various functions such as autonomous motion with the cilia, phototaxis, etc. DNA ciliate has a micrometer-sized body with many DNAs as cilia, and it can switch three different modes in response to its external environment: the free moving mode, the mode of walking on tracks, and the mode of gathering at light-irradiated positions. We believe our concept will promote the construction of highly-functional molecular robots like cells in future.

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• Team name : TeamJapan:Tokyo
• Institution name and location : The University of Tokyo and Tokyo Institute of Technology — Tokyo, Japan

• Advisor
  • Ibuki Kawamata, The University of Tokyo

• Mentors
  • Masahiro Takinoue, Tokyo Institute of Technology (Group organizer)
  • Masayuki Yamamura, Tokyo Institute of Technology
  • Daisuke Kiga, Tokyo Institute of Technology
  • Ken Komiya, Tokyo Institute of Technology
  • Akihiko Konagaya, Tokyo Institute of Technology
  • Masami Hagiya, The University of Tokyo

• Team members
  • Kiyohiko Inoue
  • Takafumi Hayashi
  • Sara Mitsunari
  • Hideki Kawamura
  • Ryuichi Kyan
  • Kaito Sugaya
  • Zicong Zhang
  • Hiroshi Matsukawa