Self-assembled filamentous nanostructures for drug/gene delivery applications

Area of Science:

• Nanotechnology
• Biomaterials Science
• Drug Delivery Systems

Background:

• Filamentous nanostructures offer advantages over other shapes, such as extended bloodstream persistence.
• Self-assembly of diverse building blocks enables versatile biomaterial development.
• These nanostructures can encapsulate hydrophobic molecules for drug delivery and nucleic acids for gene delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the self-assembly processes, current advancements, and future potential of filamentous nanostructures.
• To highlight the benefits of filamentous nanostructures in drug and gene delivery applications.

Main Methods:

• Review of self-assembly mechanisms in nanostructure formation.
• Analysis of shape-controlled nanostructure fabrication techniques.
• Evaluation of filamentous nanostructures for simultaneous drug and nucleic acid delivery.

Main Results:

• Filamentous nanostructures provide insights into self-assembly and shape control.
• Advantages of constructing filamentous nanostructures are detailed.
• Design principles for advanced nanobiomaterials are discussed.

Conclusions:

• Multifunctional nanostructures are a key focus in nanobiomaterial development.
• Filamentous nanostructures serve as promising targets for tailored nanostructure design.
• Their structural variability surpasses that of spherical micelles.