Our Science
Innovation overload! ⚡
Biomolecular Mechanics
"Everything in biology is mechanical." – Julio Fernandez
The overarching research objective of the BIONICS LAB is to uncover the fundamental physical forces that govern how cells generate, detect, and respond to mechanical forces at the molecular level. We have developed a set of DNA nanotechnology, super-resolution microscopy, biophysics, protein engineering and molecular analytic tools that empower us to achieve our goals.
Biomolecular Nanotechnology
"What I cannot create, I do not understand." – Richard Feynman
Our lab is using DNA nanostructures to reconstruct mechanically-functional biomolecular systems while capturing their spatial and mechanical contexts.
These biologically, spatially, and mechanically-relevant reconstituted systems are amenable to mathematically-rigorous, physically-sound, and highly-predictive modeling.
The Mechanobiology of Malaria Parasite Invasion
The initial theme of our lab will focus on the mechanical interactions that power and guide malaria parasite invasion. Malaria, an infectious disease caused by deadly Plasmodium parasites, is a global health concern. In 2013, malaria was responsible for ~200 million cases and claimed >500,000 lives, which is equivalent to ~1 death per minute.
Low-Cost Single Molecule Nanoarray for Democratizing Digital Diagnostics
Finally, our lab will put this knowledge to work. From the biomedical translational standpoint, we will also develop lithography-free cm-scale DNA origami nanoarrays for high-throughput single-molecule biophysics and low-cost digital diagnostics that target minuscule concentrations of biomarkers.
Rapid agnostic platform to limit viral infection
Viral infectious diseases have plagued human history and they continue to pose as a major threat to global health and economy. Our vision is to develop a novel anti-viral platform that can rapidly neutralize viral infections by limiting viral diffusion. By interfacing DNA nanotechnology and peptide engineering, we want to construct modular molecular scaffolds that incorporates attractive features like multivalency and superior specificity in targeting viral particles. The ultimate goal of this work is to transition this platform for therapeutical application.
The origins of life
"All of us who study the origin of life find that the more we look into it, the more we feel it is too complex to have evolved anywhere." – Harold Urey
The most fundamental principle of the living system could have been concealed within the secret recipe to initiate life itself. Our lab combines various branches of science from organic chemistry, fluid mechanics, into geophysics and astrophysics to develop and test a protocell model that emerged from hydrodynamic forces acting on oil slicks trapped by an ancient ocean gyre. The oil slicks are light and water-insoluble organic materials made out of micrometeorite kerogen.
Low-cost, bottom-up fabrication of large-scale single-molecule nanoarrays by DNA origami placement
Rishabh M Shetty, Sarah R Brady, Paul WK Rothemund, Rizal F Hariadi, Ashwin Gopinath
Autonomous dynamic control of DNA nanostructure self-assembly
LEOPOLD N. GREEN, HARI K.K. SUBRAMANIAN, VAHID MARDANLOU, JONGMIN KIM, RIZAL F. HARIADI, ELISA FRANCO
Determining hydrodynamic forces in bursting bubbles using DNA nanotube mechanics
RIZAL F HARIADI, ERIK WINFREE, AND BERNARD YURKE
PNAS 2015, 112 (45), E6086-E6095
"And so he looked at a tiny bubble
bursting on the surface of an infinite ocean.
Within it, molecules, their world torn asunder.
And in that vigor,
and in that endless churning,
the origin of life.
We followed him deep into this vision."
– Erik Winfree
Mechanical coordination in motor ensembles revealed using engineered artificial myosin filaments
RIZAL F HARIADI, RF SOMMESE, AS ADHIKARI, RE TAYLOR, S SUTTON, JA SPUDICH, ANAD S SIVARAMAKRISHNAN
Nature Nanotechnology 2015, 10 (8), 696-700
Myosin lever arm directs collective motion on cellular actin network
RIZAL F HARIADI, MARIO CALE, AND SIVARAJ SIVARAMAKRISHNAN
Cellular chirality arising from the self-organization of the actin cytoskeleton
YEE H TEE, TOM SHEMESH, VISALATCHI THIAGARAJAN, RIZAL F HARIADI, KAREN L ANDERSON, CHRISTOPHER PAGE, NIELS VOLKMANN, DORIT HANEIN, SIVARAJ SIVARAMAKRISHNAN, MICHAEL M KOZLOV, AND ALEXANDER D BERSHADSKY
BAM! POW!
Our family of Bionauts ⚡
Nirbhik
Acharya 🇮🇳
Postdoctoral scholar
Ph.D. –
CSIR–National Chemical Laboratory, India
Ranjan
Sasmal 🇮🇳
Postdoctoral scholar
Ph.D. – Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, India
Amarnath Singam 🇮🇳
Postdoctoral scholar
Ph.D. –
CSIR–National Chemical Laboratory, India
Prathamesh Chopade 🇮🇳
Postdoctoral scholar
Ph.D. – Sungyukwan University
Gde Bimananda Mahardika Wisna 🇮🇩
Graduate student
ASU – Physics
Karen Baker 🇺🇸
Graduate student
ASU – SMS
Youssef Hassan 🇺🇸
Undergraduate Researcher
ASU – Biochemistry
Sri Ujjwal Reddy Beereddy 🇮🇳
Undergraduate Researcher
ASU – Computer Science
Rayhan Rizqi 🇮🇩
Undergraduate Researcher
ASU – Computer Science
Undergraduate Researcher
ASU – Computer Science
"Bernie" Yurke
Boise State University
Hao Yan
ASU
Douglas Shepherd
ASU
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Where we are
The Biodesign Institute A (BDA), Arizona State University
Copyright © 2020 Rizal Hariadi. All rights reserved.