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An introduction to Metal-DNA ChemLab
Metal&DNA ChemLab is a research group that works on the preparation and characterization of new DNA-based systems where metals play a key role in their properties.
The research group is based at the Department of Inorganic Chemistry of the University of Granada (UGR), in southern Spain. The team brings together researchers with different backgrounds and focuses on the study of metal-DNA molecules and their components, and it is part of the Excellence Research Unit of “Chemistry Applied to Biomedicine and the Environment”. We use DNA molecules as a fundamental tool (platform, template or scaffold) to organize metallic entities at the nanoscale. The use of metals and metal ions is at the core of our research, as they can provide unique properties to nucleic acid molecules. The resulting metal-DNA hybrid systems could offer a plethora of different applications, depending on the resulting structure and the metals employed. |
The group works in various areas, from the preparation, to the characterization and study of properties of new metal-DNA systems, using both natural and modified nucleic acids, in their double and single stranded forms. The study of this type of metal-DNA systems also extends to work in solution, surface and solid state.
Another of our research objectives is the incorporation of the new metal-DNA systems to nanoparticle, carbon nanotube and graphene platforms, in order to obtain advanced materials. On the other hand, if we want to prepare new DNA-metal systems, it is essential to know how metal ions interact with the bases we use, both natural and artificial. Therefore, part of our research is also focused on understanding these type of metal-nucleobase interactions. |