Revolutionizing DNA analysis with a touch-free approach
Researchers at McGill University have introduced a new device that traps and studies DNA molecules using carefully tuned electric fields—without physical contact or damage. Built in the Department of Physics and developed in collaboration with students in Professor Walter Reisner’s Nanobiophysics lab, the tool leverages reversible electrokinetic confinement to grip single DNA molecules in a tiny well. As a result, scientists gain unprecedented real-time control over DNA behavior, enabling faster and more precise molecular analysis that could advance diagnostics, genome mapping, and the study of disease-related molecules.
The device emerged from a cross-disciplinary effort that brought together McGill’s nanofluids researchers, the Bioengineering lab of Professor Sara Mahshid, Dimension Genomics and collaborators at the University of California, Santa Barbara. It marks a shift from mechanical trapping methods toward a gentle, electrically guided approach that respects the delicate nature of DNA.
How the RECON device works
The core idea is to harness DNA’s inherent electrical charge to guide it into a micro-scale well. Previously, scientists had to physically confine molecules in grooves and later push them into a desired location with mechanical plates—an approach plagued by breakage risk and limited positional control. The new platform uses a carefully tuned voltage, adjusted to a specific frequency, to attract and hold a single DNA molecule without harming it. In effect, researchers are dialing in a precise “frequency” of the electric field, similar to fine-tuning an AM radio, to trap the molecule gently and reposition it as needed.
Findings show that the DNA can be confined for as long as required and released at will by altering the field parameters. This Real-Time control means scientists can watch the DNA’s dynamics unfold under different confinement conditions, offering a window into the molecule’s behavior that was previously hard to access without mechanical interference.
Why this matters for science and medicine
Single-molecule manipulation at such a small scale has wide-ranging implications. Beyond studying fundamental DNA dynamics, the RECON platform could accelerate chemical reactions on a nanoscale, such as triggering liposomes—lipid-based carriers used in drug delivery—to open and release their payloads. By simulating aspects of the cellular environment, this device can serve as a powerful tool for both diagnostics and discovery, potentially speeding up genome mapping and the identification of disease-related molecular pathways.
The researchers emphasize that the ability to cap and release DNA with reversible electrokinetic confinement opens new avenues for observing how DNA interacts with other biomolecules, how it folds and unfolds, and how external fields influence its behavior in real time. Such insights are valuable for validating models of molecular biology and for engineering next-generation diagnostic tools that rely on precise, label-free single-molecule analysis.
Collaboration, recognition, and future directions
“Single-molecule capture, release, and dynamical manipulation via reversible electrokinetic confinement (RECON)” was published in Science Advances, with Matheus Azevedo Silva Pessôa and colleagues contributing as inventors on Dimension Genomics’s provisional patent application. The project received funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and Dimension Genomics, with additional support from Québec’s Fonds de recherche du Québec–Nature et technologies and the U.S. National Science Foundation for DNA nanotubes. The work exemplifies how cross-institutional partnerships can translate a physics-based concept into a practical tool for biology and medicine.
As the platform matures, researchers anticipate expanding its use from fundamental DNA studies to complex cellular mimics, enabling more accurate simulations of biological environments. The potential to improve diagnostics, enhance genome mapping accuracy, and study disease-related molecules makes RECON a notable advancement at the intersection of physics, nanobiology, and biomedical engineering.
Outlook
By providing a reversible, non-destructive way to manipulate single DNA molecules with electric fields, the McGill team has laid groundwork for faster, more precise molecular analyses. As the technology evolves, it could redefine how laboratories approach DNA-related diagnostics, therapeutic design, and our understanding of molecular mechanics under controlled electrokinetic conditions.
