Sebastian Sensale (Cleveland State University)

Date: Wed. November 16th, 2022, 4:30 pm-5:30 pm
Location: Rockefeller 301

Title: Dynamic DNA Nanotechnology

Sebastian Sensale Rodriguez

Assistant Professor
Department of Physics
Cleveland State University

Abstract: Taking inspiration from macroscopic machines, the last decade has seen a surge of interest in the development of DNA origami devices whose functions heavily rely on conformational changes. These “dynamic” DNA nanodevices have found application in diverse areas of research including drug delivery, molecular computation, nanorobotics and biosensing. While the design, modeling and characterization of macroscopic machines is well determined on the basis of kinematics and continuum mechanics, the intrinsic flexibility and stochastic nature of biological systems at the nanoscale make such tasks be highly challenging. In this talk, we will introduce different mechanisms which enable DNA origami actuation, we will discuss new dynamic DNA nanodevices developed in collaboration with researchers from Ohio State and Duke University for nano and micro scale communication, as well as new computational modelling techniques capable of characterizing the dynamics of DNA origami nanodevices with minimal computational costs.

Bio: Sebastian Sensale Rodriguez is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Physics, Cleveland State University. Dr. Sensale earned his Ph.D. in Bioengineering at the University of Notre Dame, where he studied the behavior of nucleic acid molecules in diverse biosensing platforms analytically and computationally. After his PhD, Dr. Sensale performed Postdoctoral research at Duke University, where he worked in the computational modeling of dynamic DNA origami nanodevices. His research expertise is in the computational and mathematical modeling of biological systems at the micro and nano scales, with an emphasis on biosensing applications. His research projects have included the development of theoretical models for the prediction of resistive signals in nanopore sensors, the development of coarse-grained models for the prediction of enzyme-driven microtubule detyrosination, and the development of atomistic computational techniques to study THz vibrations of biomolecules. Dr. Sensale is a member of the American Physical Society.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssensale