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APMS Colloquium

Thursday, April 16, 9:45 - 10:45 pm

Prof. Rizal F. Hariadi

Arizona State University

Sensing and applying multi-axial tension to biomolecules using molecular devices built from DNA

Abstract: DNA nanotechnology enables the construction of molecular devices for diverse biomedical applications. By leveraging DNA's exquisite positional control, researchers can engineer sophisticated nanostructures that execute a range of tasks. In this talk, I will present two DNA-based devices: an amphiphilic double-stranded DNA sensor for non-destructive detection of cytosolic biomarkers and a DNA origami platform for multi-axial mechanical manipulation of biomolecules. In the first part of my talk, I will show HALOS (Hybridization Across Lipid for Oligonucleotide Sensing), a synthetic transmembrane devices inspired by G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) that transduce signals across cell membranes. These amphiphilic DNA nanodevices detect specific intracellular oligonucleotides, generating fluorescent signals without cell lysis and genetic engineering. In the second half of the talk, I will present some recent results on a Holliday junction, a model system in biophysics, under multi-axial tension using the Multi-Axial Entropic Spring Tweezer along Rigid Origami (MAESTRO). This molecular tool, which exploits the entropic elasticity of single-stranded DNA, uncovers the non-ergodicity of Holliday junction dynamics. The talk concludes with a discussion on the potential applications of these devices, including their use in high-throughput single-molecule biophysics of integrin signaling, cryo-EM structural studies of integrins under tension, and live-cell isolation targeting RNA markers.

Bio: Rizal Hariadi was born in Surabaya, Indonesia. He joined the Department of Physics and the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University in 2016, where he established the BIOmolecular Nanosystems with Increasing Complexity and Size (BIONICS) Laboratory. His passion for science began with an enlightening experience in the Indonesian Physics Olympiad team, leading to his undergraduate degrees at Washington State University under the tutelage of Tom Dickinson, followed by a Ph.D. at California Institute of Technology. There, Rizal focused on the non-equilibrium dynamics of DNA nanotubes and the hydrodynamics of bursting bubbles under the guidance of Erik Winfree and Bernard Yurke. He subsequently completed postdoctoral research in single-molecule biophysics at both the University of Michigan with Sivaraj Shivaramakrishnan and the Wyss Institute at Harvard University with Peng Yin. Currently, his interdisciplinary team at Arizona State University develops precision tools from the molecular to centimeter-scale for bottom-up reconstruction of mechanical systems involved in disease pathogenesis. Along the way, the lab immerses itself in the mystery of the origin of life and develops biophysical technologies. Rizal is the recipient of an NSF CAREER Award and an NIH Director's New Innovator Award.

Health & Learning Center, Building 25, Room 3108
Join Via Zoom
Password: MIRA2026

Sponsored by:

• Center for Materials Interfaces in Research and Applications (¡MIRA!)
• Nanotechnology Collaborative Infrastructure Southwest (NCI-SW) and Arizona State University (ASU)

For more information please contact APMS at APMS@nau.edu