• 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.

  • Our Recent Papers
    Innovation overload! ​​⚡

    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

     

    Bioarxiv Link

    Autonomous dynamic control of DNA nanostructure self-assembly

     

    LEOPOLD N. GREEN, HARI K.K. SUBRAMANIAN, VAHID MARDANLOU, JONGMIN KIM, RIZAL F. HARIADI, ELISA FRANCO

     

    Nature Chemistry 2019, 11, 510–520

    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

     

    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

     

    Nature Cell Biology 2015, 17 (4), 445-457

    More papers 

    BAM! POW!

  • Our family of Bionauts

    Rizal F.
    Hariadi 🇮🇩

    Assistant Professor

    Ph.D. Caltech

    CV

    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

    Kaustubh Santosh Singh Negi 🇮🇳

    Undergraduate Researcher

    ASU – Computer Science

  • Collaborators

    "Bernie" Yurke

    Boise State University

    Hao Yan

    ASU

    Douglas Shepherd

    ASU

  • Get in touch!

     Email or drop us a note below

  • Where we are

    The Biodesign Institute A (BDA), Arizona State University

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