Abstract
By harnessing the chirality of the DNA double helix, chemists have been able to obtain new, reliable, selective, andenvironmentally friendly biohybrid catalytic systems with tailor-made functions. Nonetheless, despite all the advances madethroughout the years in the field of DNA-based asymmetric catalysis, many challenges still remain to be faced, in particular when it comes to designing a “universal” catalyst with broad reactivity and unprecedented selectivity. Rational design and rounds of selection have allowed us to approach this goal. We report here the development of a DNA/RNA hybrid catalytic system featuring a covalently attached bipyridine ligand, which exhibits unmatched levels of selectivity throughout the current DNA toolbox and opens new avenues in asymmetric catalysis.