Abstract
Taking advantage of the specific base-pairing interaction of DNA, I propose a robust method for creating melt topological or "olympic" gels. Flexible polymers which have been end-decorated with complimentary base-pair sequences will undergo end-closing reactions with either themselves (forming loops) or with neighboring chains (creating linear, but lengthened chains). The loop-forming or chain-forming process can be controlled by how many distinct ligand pairs occur in the system. A gel formed of these interlocking rings will display a sensitivity to dissolve when brought into contact with a large concentration of DNA fragments, thus giving a biologically-specific trigger for drug delivery by olympic microgels.