Molecular trucks and complementary tracks for bionanotechnological applications

Abstract

Molecular motors are cellular trucks that help regulate structure and function, and enable cells to operate far from equilibrium by transporting cargo (i.e. organelles and other molecules of interest) to designed locations. Cargo transport is performed against concentration gradients and through the exchange of chemical energy into mechanical work. The truck-based transport system provides the inspiration for the next generation of intricate nanodevices and synthetic platforms to be used for lab-on-chip analyte detection and sensing with increased efficiency and scalability.