Bas Rosier from University of Technology Eindhoven (TU/e) is doing a biomedical engineering internship at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. Rosier is working on the first applications of the technique is known as DNA origami which has been used to fabricate everything from triangles and smiley faces to a nano-sized world map.
According to Rosier ‘Every human cell, contains several meters of long linear DNA which stores all of our genetic information. Researchers in the field of bio nanotechnology find the natural occurring DNA rather boring even though these 700 megabytes of DNA per cell are incredibly important.’
‘Scientists have devised ways to precisely manipulate the DNA and are now able to successfully create any arbitrary two-two- and three-dimensional shape on a nanometer scale. Think of a DNA strand as a balloon animal that is folded into its shape, not by a clown, but by a scientist,’ said Rosier.
The Boston area has over fifty world-renowned schools and universities such as Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Rosier said ‘the lab atmosphere is laidback and inspiring and that reminds me a lot of home, our little Eindhoven.’
Bostonians are also obsessed with sports and when he’s not working Bas Rosier supports the Boston Red Sox baseball team at Fenway Park stadium.
Source: cursor.tue.nl
