DESMA 9 Week 4

Despite my major not having anything to do with biology, a lot of what I have learnt in classes in UCLA is associated to medical technologies. One such example would be DNA origami, in which DNA strains are manipulated into different shapes. Normally, DNA strains are akin to a dust bunny, in which random strains are mixed together to form a tumbleweed-like mesh. However, by assigning specific alkyl groups to the strain, one can manipulate the shape of the DNA strains. One practical use of this technology is in allowing science to deploy targeted medicine. By creating a DNA box surrounding the medicine and creating a lock that only opens when in the presence of the target, the medicine can be delivered straight to the target without interacting with any other entities. Evidently, this technology holds much promise in helping humanity’s battle against cancer, where most techniques deployed are untargeted, like chemotherapy.

Natural Structure of Multiple DNA Strains

Examples of DNA Origami

As inferred from the name “DNA Origami”, this technology draws inspiration from the Japanese art form, Origami. Having grown up under the care of my grandparents, one of my favorite thing to do with my grandmother was origami. As a child, I used to buy origami books and paper to fold different creatures with my grandmother. Till today, I enjoy origami and watch artist like Robert Lang, make mind-blowing creations out of paper. Ergo, when I was introduced to DNA origami by Professor Weiss, I was captivated by both the creativity and the potential of this technology. Having lost family members to cancer, this medical advancement was of great interest to me. In addition, it was intriguing to see how an art form can inspire such improvements in our technology.

One of the Many Works of Art by Robert Lang

Another medical technology I find fascinating is imaging technology, which relies heavily on our understanding of the electromagnetic spectrum. In fact, most of our commonly used medical technology like MRI or X-rays are possible due to the manipulation of electromagnetic waves. In layman terms, by monitoring how the waves interact with the environment or target, images are created. In fact, satellites rely on the same technology to produce images or three dimensional scans of Earth.

Serendipitously, in Ms. Sarah Brady’s exhibition entitled “Material Reiteration”, she featured “Rebuild” which made use of a three-dimensional scan of a strip mine. The scan of the mine was inverted to form a pyramid structure as seen below. Having just started this online course then, it was appeasing to see an actual example of how modern technology was being employed by artist in their work.

"Rebuild" by Sarah Brady

In conclusion, the examples presented reiterates the cyclical relationship between art and science. Hopefully society’s perception of the two fields will soon return to what it was during the renaissance, where both fields were treated as one and the educated was seen to be adept in both.


Sources:
"8 Artists Pushing Origami To The Extreme." Creators. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2017. <https://creators.vice.com/en_us/article/8-artists-pushing-origami-to-the-extreme>.
Robert J. Lang Origami. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2017. <http://www.langorigami.com/>.
Sanderson, Katharine. "Bioengineering: What to make with DNA origami." Nature News. Nature Publishing Group, 10 Mar. 2010. Web. 27 Apr. 2017. <http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100310/full/464158a.html>.
"Practical DNA." Nature News. Nature Publishing Group, n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2017. <http://www.nature.com/news/practical-dna-1.19560>.
Deng, Yiming, and Xin Liu. "Electromagnetic Imaging Methods for Nondestructive Evaluation Applications." Sensors (Basel, Switzerland). Molecular Diversity Preservation International (MDPI), 2011. Web. 27 Apr. 2017. <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3252010/>.