Molecular Fabrication:  Aligning DNA Molecules as Building Blocks

We report here a novel method for assembling macromolecules in a sequential order. Individual DNA molecules can be prefabricated into a linear micrometer-sized pearling chain, or colored bar, under trapping with a focused IR laser, by using a suitable chemical agent, Chol-PEG-A (poly(ethylene glycol) with amino- and cholesteryl-pendant groups), to complex with DNA. Using the laser, these fabricated bars can then be pieced together into a complex structure. This approach could be useful for the further development of micromanufacture using macromolecules as nanoelements.