DNA-Origami-Assembled Rhodium Nanoantennas for Deep-UV Label-Free Single-Protein Detection

We are thrilled to announce our latest publication in Advanced Functional Materials: "DNA-Origami-Assembled Rhodium Nanoantennas for Deep-UV Label-Free Single-Protein Detection" (DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202532006).

In this work, we pioneer a robust strategy for functionalizing rhodium nanocubes with DNA, enabling their assembly into programmable UV-plasmonic nanoantennas on DNA origami scaffolds. This breakthrough allows for the precise positioning of a single streptavidin protein within the plasmonic hotspot, achieving up to 22× brightness enhancement in deep-UV autofluorescence detection. Our approach overcomes the limitations of traditional UV-plasmonic materials by combining the chemical stability of rhodium with the addressability of DNA origami, opening new avenues for label-free, single-molecule spectroscopy in the deep-UV range.

This research marks a significant step toward deterministic, high-precision sensing of individual proteins without the need for fluorescent labels, with potential applications in structural biology and bioanalytical chemistry. It establishes label-free UV autofluorescence detection at the single protein level.

Read the full paper here.