Here we review our recent efforts, and those of others, on the construction of biomimetic DNA nanostructures that imitate biological structures and functionalities, and could serve as a generalised platform for engineering artificial cellular systems.

Thanks to its biocompatibility, versatility, and programmable interactions, DNA has been proposed as a building block for functional, stimuli-responsive frameworks with applications in biosensing, tissue engineering, and drug delivery. Of particular importance for in vivo applications is the possibility of making such nanomaterials responsive to physiological stimuli. Here, we demonstrate how combining noncanonical DNA G-quadruplex (G4) structures with amphiphilic DNA constructs yields nanostructures, which we termed "Quad-Stars", capable of assembling into responsive hydrogel particles via a straightforward, enzyme-free, onepot reaction. The embedded G4 structures allow one to trigger and control the assembly/disassembly in a reversible fashion by adding or removing K + ions. Furthermore, the hydrogel aggregates can be photo-disassembled upon near-UV irradiation in the presence of a porphyrin photosensitizer. The combined reversibility of assembly, responsiveness, and cargo-loading capabilities of the hydrophobic moieties make Quad-Stars a promising candidate for biosensors and responsive drug delivery carriers.

Thanks to its biocompatibility, versatility and programmable interactions, DNA has been proposed as a building block for functional, stimuli-responsive frameworks with applications in biosensing, tissue engineering and drug delivery. Of particular importance for in vivo applications is the possibility of making such nano-materials responsive to physiological stimuli. Here we demonstrate how combining noncanonical DNA G-quadruplex (G4) structures with amphiphilic DNA constructs yields nanostructures, which we termed "Quad-Stars", capable of assembling into responsive hydrogel particles via a straightforward, enzyme-free, one-pot reaction. The embedded G4 structures allow one to trigger and control the assembly/disassembly in a reversible fashion by adding or removing K+ ions. Furthermore, the frameworks can be rendered responsive to near-UV light through the addition of a porphyrin photosensitiser. The combined reversibility of assembly, responsiveness and cargo-loading capabilities of the hydrophobic moieties make Quad-Stars a promising candidate for biosensors and responsive drug delivery carriers.

Thanks to its biocompatibility, versatility and programmable interactions, DNA has been proposed as a building block for functional, stimuli-responsive frameworks with applications in biosensing, tissue engineering and drug delivery. Of particular importance for in vivo applications is the possibility of making such nano-materials responsive to physiological stimuli. Here we demonstrate how combining noncanonical DNA G-quadruplex (G4) structures with amphiphilic DNA constructs yields nanostructures, which we termed "Quad-Stars", capable of assembling into responsive hydrogel particles via a straightforward, enzyme-free, one-pot reaction. The embedded G4 structures allow one to trigger and control the assembly/disassembly in a reversible fashion by adding or removing K+ ions. Furthermore, the hydrogel aggregates can be photodisassembled upon near-UV irradiation in the presence of a porphyrin photosensitiser. The combined reversibility of assembly, responsiveness and cargo-loading capabilities of the hydrophobic moieties make Quad-Stars a promising candidate for biosensors and responsive drug delivery carriers.

Thanks to its biocompatibility, versatility and programmable interactions, DNA has been proposed as a building block for functional, stimuli-responsive frameworks with applications in biosensing, tissue engineering and drug delivery. Of particular importance for in vivo applications is the possibility of making such nano-materials responsive to physiological stimuli. Here we demonstrate how combining noncanonical DNA G-quadruplex (G4) structures with amphiphilic DNA constructs yields nanostructures, which we termed "Quad-Stars", capable of assembling into responsive hydrogel particles via a straightforward, enzyme-free, one-pot reaction. The embedded G4 structures allow one to trigger and control the assembly/disassembly in a reversible fashion by adding or removing K+ ions. Furthermore, the hydrogel aggregates can be photodisassembled upon near-UV irradiation in the presence of a porphyrin photosensitiser. The combined reversibility of assembly, responsiveness and cargo-loading capabilities of the hydrophobic moieties make Quad-Stars a promising candidate for biosensors and responsive drug delivery carriers.