Speaker:
Prof. Yonggang Ke, Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology.
Tittle: DNA Nanotechnology and Its Applications in Biomedical Research
Time: 14:00 September 22nd, 2026 (Tuesday)
Venue: Conference Room No.5, Building No.5
Host: Prof. Yuhe Yang
Abstract:
The self-assembly of biomolecules offers powerful solutions to challenges in sustainable manufacturing and biomedical technology. DNA nanotechnology has emerged as a particularly versatile platform, leveraging the programmability and sequence-specific interactions of DNA to achieve precise control of matter at the nanoscale. In this talk, I will briefly describe the design and fabrication of fully addressable, three-dimensional DNA nanostructures with rationally programmed shapes and sizes, as well as dynamic DNA nanomachines capable of performing controlled motions at the nanoscale. Then, I will highlight biomedical applications of these platforms, including siRNA delivery systems for cancer therapy, DNA nanodevice-based biosensors and bioimaging tools, and DNA molecular rulers for investigating fundamental questions in immunology, including cooperative receptor binding by T cells, antigen-dependent B cell stimulation, and the design of allergen vaccines that selectively activate B cells while avoiding mast cell responses. Together, these studies illustrate how rationally designed DNA nanostructures can serve as both precision tools for basic science and versatile vehicles for therapeutic intervention.
Info.:
Dr. Yonggang Ke received his B.S. in Chemistry from Peking University and his Ph.D. in Chemistry and Biochemistry from Arizona State University, where he trained under Prof. Hao Yan. He subsequently completed five years of postdoctoral training at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, working with Profs. William Shih and Peng Yin. He is currently an Associate Professor (with tenure) in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, a joint department of Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology, with concurrent appointments as Adjunct Faculty in the Department of Chemistry at Emory University， Winship Cancer Institute, the Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB).
Dr. Ke is a leading scientist in the field of DNA nanotechnology. His laboratory engineers DNA into programmable nanostructures and devices for applications in biosensing, drug delivery, immunoengineering, nanomaterials, and molecular robotics, pursuing three interconnected directions: the design of complex DNA self-assembly, the biological and biomedical application of DNA nanostructures, and the creation of functional hybrid nanomaterials and molecular machines. He has authored over 130 publications in leading journals, with more than 14,000 total citations and an h-index of 58 (Google Scholar), including four papers in Science and one in Nature as first or corresponding author, and many others in Nature Chemistry, Nature Communications, Nature Biomedical Engineering, Science Robotics, ACS Nano, and the Journal of the American Chemical Society. His research is supported by the NIH, NSF, Department of Energy, and industry. Dr. Ke is the recipient of multiple honors, including an NSF CAREER Award (2017) and an NIH MIRA Award (2024). Dr. Ke has also served as a reviewer for many grants and awards administered by funding agencies and industry partners in the United States, the European Union, and China.
