Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41963312›Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

Gallium in liquid state shows nuclease-mimicking activity.

Li Liu, Jiewei Zheng, Xi Lu, Chowdhury Sarowar, Yuqin Wang, Martin A Smith, Xin Wang, Fei Deng, Biswaranjan Mohanty, Nur-Adania Nor-Azman and 10 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

20 authors.

Li Liu *School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0093-5191
Jiewei Zheng *School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Xi Lu *Digital Health and Biomedical Engineering, School of Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0009-8927-9629
Chowdhury SarowarBioanalytical Mass Spectrometry Facility, Mark Wainwright Analytical Centre, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Yuqin WangSchool of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Martin A SmithRamaciotti Centre for Genomics, School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Faculty of Science, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2259-1713
Xin WangDigital Health and Biomedical Engineering, School of Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
Fei DengSchool of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5606-0278
Biswaranjan MohantySydney Analytical, Core Research Facilities, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Nur-Adania Nor-AzmanSchool of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Fusheng ZhangCenter for AIE Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Energy Materials Service Safety, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China.
Shih-Hao ChiuSchool of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Mario TorradoSydney Analytical, Core Research Facilities, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7029-7602
Yi LiSchool of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Shi-Yang TangDigital Health and Biomedical Engineering, School of Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3079-8880
Jianbo TangSchool of Chemical Engineering, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0155-6807
Michelle J S SpencerSchool of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4646-1550
Priyank V KumarSchool of Chemical Engineering, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8203-7223
Kourosh Kalantar-ZadehSchool of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. kourosh.kalantarzadeh@sydney.edu.au.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6109-132X
Chengchen ZhangDigital Health and Biomedical Engineering, School of Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK. chengchen.zhang@soton.ac.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8802-539X

Funding

RCUK | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) APP34994Royal Society IEC/NSFC/233339Royal Society RG/R1/241228
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Replicating biological systems using non-living materials, from the foundational molecular level to complex tissue structures, is central to abiotic mimicry. Enzymes play a vital role in these systems; however, replicating their enzymatic power with minimal components remains a key challenge. Here we show that gallium in the liquid state exhibits nuclease-like activity with preferred cleaving sites. The mechanism involves nucleotide-biased adsorption and hydroxyl radical-assisted phosphodiester hydrolysis. Compared with previously reported artificial metallonucleases, the liquid gallium uniquely integrates its oxide layer for substrate adsorption and its metallic core with electrons as a cleavage active center, forming a ligand- and cofactor-free artificial nuclease platform. Moreover, their activity is tunable through synthesis parameters and external stimuli, enabling programmable control with spatial or temporal precision. This work presents a minimalistic yet functional approach to enzyme mimicry, expanding the design space for abiotic enzymatic systems and offering potential opportunities in therapeutic applications, synthetic biology, and biomaterials.

Indexed as

DeoxyribonucleasesGalliumAdsorptionHydrolysisHydroxyl RadicalDeoxyribonucleasesGalliumHydroxyl Radical

Identifiers

PMID41963312
PMCPMC13247054

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.