Biography
I focus on DNA nanotechnology, which enables the construction nanoscale objects with precisely controlled shape and dynamic behaviour. In particular, I design synthetic nanostructures that mimic the functionalities of biological machinery including membrane anchored ligands and signalling complexes. These can be used to engineer the properties of biomimetic tissue-like materials and coupled to natural biological machinery in artificial cells and cell-free systems. I am interest to engage with the broader SynBio community in Cambridge and help coordinate activities in the Physics Department with others.
Research
Biomimetic DNA Nanotechnology, membrane biophysics, artificial cells, self-assembly, soft matter.
Publications
Key publications:
R.A. Brady, N.J. Brooks, P. Cicuta, and L. Di Michele, Crystallization of Amphiphilic DNA C-Stars, Nano Lett., 17(5), 3276–3281, (2017)
L. Parolini, J. Kotar, L. Di Michele*, and B. M. Mognetti*, Controlling self-assembly kinetics of DNA-functionalized liposomes using toehold exchange mechanism, ACS Nano, 10(2,) 2392-2398, (2016)
L. Parolini, B. M. Mognetti, J. Kotar, E. Eiser, P. Cicuta, and L. Di Michele, Volume and Porosity Thermal Regulation in Lipid Mesophases by Coupling Mobile Ligands to Soft Membranes, Nature. Comm., 6:5948 (2015)