# Long DNA Assembly on Electronic Nanochannel Chip Devices

> **NIH NIH R43** · AVERY BIO CORPORATION · 2024 · $295,923

## Abstract

The long-term objective of this research program is to greatly increase the availability of large DNA constructs
for biomedical researchers, by providing a new, highly automated, and low-cost way of making long synthetic
DNA molecules. Gene-length DNA is routinely used by genetic engineers to deliver narrow functionalities into
engineered cells. Long DNA—which may comprise 10’s, 100’s or even 1000’s of genes—can deliver far more
complex functionality into cells, such as installing entire chemical synthetic pathways into bacteria to produce
valuable drugs, or delivering larger recognition and killing payloads into immune cells being programmed to
target cancer cells, or having far more viruses and strains represented in mRNA vaccines, which are normally
single gene-based. For optimal scaling and economics, these future long DNA assembly chips would be the
same type of chip that are mass produced for processors, memory, imaging, and communications, so-called
“CMOS chips”. The scaling properties of such chips have been transformative for the industries they touch and
can do the same for production of designer long DNA. CMOS chip devices offer the greatest potential for
miniaturization, precision automation, and low-cost deployment, far beyond what is possible with the robotic
automation that is currently used in industrial biofoundries that make custom DNA. The specific approach that
enables the construction of long DNA in a way that will map ideally onto future electronic CMOS chips is to use
all-electronic control of DNA motion within nanoscale channels, to route around and join the small building block
pieces of DNA. Towards this goal, one Aim of this project is to develop precision motion control for DNA
fragments moving in the channels. The other Aim is to use this motion control to bring together and join distinct
DNA fragments. The methods of this project will consist of fabricating discrete electronic nanochannel devices
and using these to explore all relevant motion control parameters. Issues of biocompatibility and biofouling of
will also be considered, in the context supporting the desired DNA assembly workflow. The findings from this
project will directly enable the next phase to fabricate a CMOS chip device, towards the ultimate goal of
dramatically increasing access to long DNA for more powerful genetic engineering in biomedical applications.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10921920
- **Project number:** 1R43GM154597-01
- **Recipient organization:** AVERY BIO CORPORATION
- **Principal Investigator:** Somes Kumar Das
- **Activity code:** R43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $295,923
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-05-01 → 2025-10-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10921920

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10921920, Long DNA Assembly on Electronic Nanochannel Chip Devices (1R43GM154597-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10921920. Licensed CC0.

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