Future

　Our cage enables us to design the formation and features independently. This makes our ”cage” possible to change into anything we want. For example, we can trap viruses by using aptamers as joints, or we can use several different joints and changing the ratio of them to realize unexpected features.Furthermore, if we use joints that deform by light, we can change the shape of our cage using laser. This is a strategy used in plane processing such as Structural Origami in the macro scale. If we use light, we may be able to make the most complicated form easily as if to fold an origami. Also, if we had a ring-shaped material that ran through this cage, we can form a transmission path like a synapse by cutting the edges of the cage one by one.

　
Some people might have thought, “If we can remove one strand from a double strand, we might be able to put it back together again?” That is right. Unfortunately, we haven’t done it in our experiment but it is possible to change the joints on the way. This means that we can apply it to a Nano machine that changes its formation according to the environment around it, exactly like metabolism. We can also make the cage have a position recognizing feature by setting a gradient in the concentration of the joints like morphogen in our body. The fact that it can form a closed surface also enables us to get closer to realizing artificial cells.