US Patent 7216792 - DNA electronics using R-loop bonding of nanoparticle

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7216792.html

www.biology-online.org defines an R-loop as a single stranded loop section of dNA formed by the association of a section of ssRNA with the other strand of the dna in this region whereby one dna strand is displaced as the loop. This patent from IBM claims a method of forming an electronic device such as a resonant tunneling diode using such R-loops to bind with nanoparticles. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method of fabricating an electronic device using biomolecules comprising: forming first and second electrodes on a substrate; extending bridging DNA between said first and second electrodes; providing at least one RNA complementary to a region of said bridging DNA wherein said at least one RNA and said bridging DNA bond to form at least one R-loop; and bonding at least one nanoparticle to said DNA within said at least one R-loop.