Overview
Physicists at McGill University’s Department of Physics have unveiled a breakthrough device that traps and studies DNA molecules without touching or damaging them. The system uses carefully tuned electric fields to guide each molecule into a small well, enabling real-time observation of DNA dynamics while preserving molecular integrity. The development was led by doctoral student Matheus Azevedo Silva Pessôa, a nanofluids researcher, in collaboration with peers in Professor Walter Reisner’s Nanobiophysics lab, and draws contributions from McGill’s Bioengineering lab (Professor Sara Mahshid), the genomics technology startup Dimension Genomics, and researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The work is published as Single-molecule capture, release, and dynamical manipulation via reversible electrokinetic confinement (RECON) in Science Advances, and the team is listed among inventors on Dimension Genomics’s provisional patent related to the device.
How RECON Differs from Past Approaches
Earlier methods for manipulating DNA often required physically confining molecules in grooves or chambers and mechanically actuating lids or plates to trap them. Those approaches could damage the molecules or offer limited control over position and duration of confinement. The new platform, by contrast, exploits the DNA molecule’s intrinsic electric charge to steer it into a nanoscale well, providing gentle, reversible confinement with precise control over timing and localization. This electrokinetic confinement enables researchers to modulate each molecule on demand, opening the door to unprecedented insights into single-molecule behavior.
Tuning with Precision
Azevedo Silva Pessôa explains that the device functions much like tuning an AM radio dial. By adjusting the electrical voltage to a specific frequency, scientists can trap and release DNA molecules with fine resolution. This fine-tuning allows for extended observation of how DNA behaves in a controlled field, without the stress or breakage associated with mechanical trapping. The ability to confine DNA for as long as needed and to alter the trapping strength during observation makes it possible to watch real-time dynamics that were difficult to capture with previous methods.
Why This Matters Now
Manipulating DNA at the single-molecule level has broad implications for chemistry, biology, and medicine. The RECON platform can accelerate chemical reactions involving nanoscale carriers, such as liposomes used in drug delivery, by precisely triggering release from confined states. It also offers a powerful way to simulate cellular environments and study how DNA and associated biomolecules respond under engineered conditions. As a result, researchers can experiment more rapidly and with greater control, which may improve diagnostics, enhance genome mapping, and deepen the understanding of disease-related molecules.
Potential Applications and Future Directions
Beyond fundamental studies, the technology holds promise for practical innovations in biotechnology. Real-time manipulation of DNA could streamline genomic analyses, enabling faster sequencing workflows or new forms of single-m molecule assays. The platform could also be used to model cellular microenvironments, providing a testbed for exploring how DNA interacts with membranes, proteins, and other nanoscale partners under controlled electrical stimuli. By enabling reversible, noninvasive control of DNA dynamics, RECON positions researchers to probe complex molecular processes with clarity and precision that was previously unattainable.
Collaborations, Funding, and Acknowledgments
The research team includes participants from McGill’s Physics and Bioengineering departments, Dimension Genomics, and the University of California, Santa Barbara. The study was funded by the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada and Dimension Genomics, with additional support from the Fonds de recherche du Québec–Nature et technologies for doctoral work by Pessôa. Materials and technical expertise for the DNA nanotubes used in the project received support from the U.S. National Science Foundation. The work underscores how cross-disciplinary collaboration can yield practical tools with broad impact for diagnostics, therapy, and fundamental biology.
Conclusion
By enabling single-molecule capture, controlled release, and dynamical manipulation through reversible electrokinetic confinement, this McGill-led platform marks a meaningful advance in DNA analytics. As the technology matures, it could lead to faster, more accurate diagnostics, improved genome mapping, and new approaches to studying disease-related molecules, all while preserving the delicate integrity of DNA and related nanostructures.
