A team led by the Second Institute of Physics at the University of Stuttgart in Germany has developed a DNA nanorobot that can modify artificial cells. This innovative technology can control the shape and permeability of lipid membranes in synthetic cells, providing a new tool for the development of synthetic biology. The relevant results were published in the latest issue of the journal Nature Materials. The morphology of cells is crucial for biological function, and this concept conforms to the design principle of 'form follows function'. This principle emphasizes that the structure should be determined based on its intended use, and whether this principle can be applied to artificial cells is one of the important challenges facing synthetic biology. With the development of DNA nanotechnology, scientists are now able to construct sufficiently large transport channels that allow therapeutic proteins to pass through cell membranes, providing hope for addressing this challenge. By utilizing signal dependent DNA nanorobots, the team has achieved programmable interaction with synthetic cells, which is an important step in applying DNA nanotechnology to regulate cell behavior. They used a simple structure that mimics living cells - giant single-layer vesicles (GUVs) - to construct reconfigurable nanorobots through DNA origami technology. This type of robot is capable of changing the surrounding environment at the micrometer scale and has successfully influenced the shape and function of GUVs. Specifically, these deformed DNA nanorobots can induce GUV to deform and form synthetic channels, allowing large molecules such as therapeutic proteins or enzymes to cross the membrane and reseal when needed. This indicates that DNA nanorobots can be used to design the morphology and configuration of GUVs, thereby achieving the formation of intramembrane transport channels. When applied to living cells, it can promote the effective delivery of drugs or enzymes to the target location inside the cell, opening up new pathways for drug delivery and other therapeutic interventions. This achievement not only demonstrates how to manipulate synthetic cells with DNA nanorobots, but also brings new opportunities for future medical applications. (New Society)