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Georgia Institute of Technology Associate Professor (left) and Ph.D. students have made a significant advance in controlling the size of DNA toroids. The finding could improve the efficiency of gene delivery for medical treatment and disease prevention. Scientists are seeking to understand the natural mechanism of DNA condensation into nanostructures -- in particular, toroids, which look like tightly wound garden hoses. Densely packed DNA is nature's efficient way of transporting genetic information, done particularly well by sperm cells and viruses.