Materials within living systems have a complex structure that constantly reorganizes in order to continue to function reliably as the environment changes.  Commonly, this structure arises because a simple set of components are assembled and reorganized by control over assembly kinetics, sensors and signal transduction cascades that translates information about the state of the environment to direct assembly and reorganization processes. These rules allow a material to take on different configurations and through feedback between the environment and the assembly process, adapt to its surroundings and improve its function. For example, tubulin can be organized into cilia, fibrous networks or machines such as the spindle, and the extracellular matrix, an extended matrix composed of a relatively small number of principle protein components, is continually growing and being digested and remodeled in response to interaction with cells within a tissue.  I will describe progress toward constructing self-assembling materials based on this paradigm that like biological materials, respond and adapt in a myriad of ways to multiple features of the environment. Such responsiveness could lead to the design of soft robots, self-healing materials, or biomaterials that can continue to improve their function over time.<br/>

Dynamic, reconfigurable materials and nanostructures built with DNA

254th National Meeting (2017)

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