  Biological materials are self-assembled with near-atomic precision in living
cells, whereas synthetic 3D structures generally lack such precision and
controllability. Recently, DNA nanotechnology, especially DNA origami
technology, has been useful in the bottom-up fabrication of well-defined
nanostructures ranging from tens of nanometres to sub-micrometres. In this
Primer, we summarize the methodologies of DNA origami technology, including
origami design, synthesis, functionalization and characterization. We highlight
applications of origami structures in nanofabrication, nanophotonics and
nanoelectronics, catalysis, computation, molecular machines, bioimaging, drug
delivery and biophysics. We identify challenges for the field, including size
limits, stability issues and the scale of production, and discuss their
possible solutions. We further provide an outlook on next-generation DNA
origami techniques that will allow in vivo synthesis and multiscale
manufacturing.

Biological Physics;Soft Condensed Matter