UA Researchers Garner DNA Grants

Three University of Arkansas engineering professors — Russell Deaton, Jin-Woo Kim and Steve Tung — landed two grants worth a combined $510,000 this summer to further their research with DNA, an essential building block of life.

The three engineers have been collaborating on various uses of DNA as a component to build nano-scaled electronics and even to use it as a storage device for databases.

The term “nano” is a prefix used to describe one-billionth of a unit. A nanoparticle ranges in size from about 1/1,000th to 1/10,000th the width of a human hair.

One grant came on June 1 from the United States Department of Agriculture worth $195,000 to continue research on carbon nanotubes and DNA, which can be used to manipulate super small units and possibly manufacture nano electronics.

Another grant came from the National Science Foundation in mid-August to research DNA memory sequences. The sequences can be used to store vast amounts of data in a space the size of a drop of water. The three-year grant is worth $315,000, Deaton said, or about half of what they applied for.

The trio has filed three intents to patent with the UA patents and copyright committee and has another application pending. The committee will review the information and decide whether or not the university is interested in controlling the technology. The professors will share in the patents, of course, if UA decides to keep it.

Deaton was not sure when the committee will meet next.