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Functional DNA Molecules Enable Selective and Stimuli-Responsive Nanoparticles for Biomedical Applications.
Lele Li1,2, Hang Xing1,3, Jingjing Zhang1,4
1Department of Chemistry , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana , Illinois 61801 , United States.
Accounts of Chemical Research
|August 15, 2019
Summary
Functional DNA (fDNA) integrated with nanoparticles (NPs) creates advanced nanomedicine for targeted disease diagnosis and treatment. These fDNA-NPs offer enhanced biocompatibility and selectivity for improved sensing, imaging, and drug delivery applications.
Area of Science:
- Nanomedicine
- Biotechnology
- Materials Science
Background:
- Nanoparticles (NPs) possess unique properties for disease diagnosis and treatment.
- Biocompatibility and target specificity are crucial for NPs in nanomedicine.
- Functional DNA (fDNA) offers selective binding and catalytic capabilities for NP functionalization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop strategies for integrating fDNA with inorganic and organic NPs to create functional DNA-NPs (fDNA-NPs).
- To enhance NP biocompatibility and target specificity for advanced biomedical applications.
- To explore the potential of fDNA-NPs for sensing, imaging, and drug delivery.
Main Methods:
- Integration of inorganic NPs (gold NPs, quantum dots, iron oxide) with fDNA (aptamers, DNAzymes).
- Development of stimuli-responsive fDNA-NPs for target-induced assembly/disassembly.
- DNA-mediated surface functionalization and shape-controlled synthesis of NPs.
- Creation of enzyme-responsive fDNA-liposomes and single-chain block copolymer-based NPs.
- Incorporation of cell-specific aptamers for targeted drug delivery.
Main Results:
- Designed stimuli-responsive fDNA-NPs enabling colorimetric, fluorescent, and MRI-based diagnostics.
- Demonstrated DNA-mediated functionalization for targeted bioimaging with high spatiotemporal resolution.
- Developed universal sensing platforms (fDNA-liposomes) for point-of-care diagnostics.
- Created fDNA-NP systems with programmable functionalities for intracellular catalysis and imaging.
- Showcased targeted drug delivery systems with stimuli-responsive properties for cancer therapy.
Conclusions:
- fDNA-NPs represent a versatile platform for advanced nanomedicine, offering improved biocompatibility and selectivity.
- These hybrid nanomaterials enable precise diagnostics, targeted bioimaging, and effective drug delivery.
- Future research directions include addressing current challenges and expanding the application scope of fDNA-mediated NP engineering.
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