DoriNano Summer Seminar Series - 1
DoriNano Summer Seminar Series
Session 1 | July 23, 2026 (Thursday)
10:00 – 11:30 AM ET
A Hands-On Introduction to DNA Origami
Speaker: Chris Wintersinger, PhD
Bio: Chris Wintersinger, PhD is a specialist in structural DNA nanotechnology, with expertise in the design and assembly of DNA origami nanostructures. During his doctoral studies at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, he developed a robust methodology for assembling DNA origami monomers into highly ordered architectures containing more than 1,000 unique origami subunits in Professor William Shih's laboratory. Beyond DNA nanotechnology, Chris is passionate about advancing technologies through strategic funding and commercialization, with experience supporting innovation in climate, sustainability, and the clean economy.
Topics
Introduction to DNA origami fundamentals, including key concepts, structural possibilities, and design principles.
Hands-on use of an interactive software tool to design DNA origami nanostructures and considerations for crossovers, control over oligomerization, and twist.
Interactive build of a sample DNA origami structure, plus an overview of experimental folding/analysis methods and related tools/resources.
Session 2 | July 30, 2026 (Thursday)
10:00 – 11:30 AM ET
DNA Origami: Design Principles, Structural Innovation, and Therapeutic Applications
Speaker: William M. Shih, PhD
Bio: William M. Shih, PhD is Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at Harvard Medical School, Professor of Cancer Biology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and a Founding Core Faculty member of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University. He is widely recognized as one of the pioneers of structural DNA nanotechnology. His laboratory developed multilayer three-dimensional DNA origami architectures and numerous foundational design strategies that transformed DNA origami into a versatile and reliable engineering platform. These innovations have enabled broad applications spanning structural biology, molecular devices, drug delivery, vaccines, and programmable therapeutics. Dr. Shih is also the Co-founder and Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of DoriNano, where his pioneering work forms the technological foundation of the company's programmable DNA origami therapeutic platform.
Topics
The evolution of structural DNA nanotechnology: from early DNA assemblies to modern DNA origami.
The scientific breakthroughs that established DNA origami as a robust and programmable engineering platform.
Design philosophies behind scalable, well-behaved DNA origami architectures.
Practical lessons learned from nearly two decades of developing increasingly sophisticated DNA nanostructures.
Representative DNA origami architectures and how design choices influence stability, manufacturability, and function.
Emerging applications of DNA origami in biomedicine, including vaccines, therapeutics, molecular delivery, and future opportunities.