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Updated: Jul 4, 2025

DNA-Tethered RNA Polymerase for Programmable In vitro Transcription and Molecular Computation
Published on: December 29, 2021
Nucleic Acid Delivery Nanotechnologies for In Vivo Cell Programming
Hannia V Balcorta1, Veronica G Contreras Guerrero1, Deepali Bisht1
1Department of Metallurgical, Materials, and Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Texas at El Paso, 500 W. University Ave., El Paso, Texas 79968, United States.
Abstract:
In medicine, it is desirable for clinicians to be able to restore function and imbue novel function into selected cells for therapy and disease prevention. Cells damaged by disease, injury, or aging could be programmed to restore normal or lost functions, such as retinal cells in inherited blindness and neuronal cells in Alzheimer's disease. Cells could also be genetically programmed with novel functions such as immune cells expressing synthetic chimeric antigen receptors for immunotherapy. Furthermore, knockdown or modification of risk factor proteins can mitigate disease development. Currently, nucleic acids are emerging as a versatile and potent therapeutic modality for achieving this cellular programming. In this review, we highlight the latest developments in nanobiomaterials-based nucleic acid therapeutics for cellular programming from a biomaterial design and delivery perspective and how to overcome barriers to their clinical translation to benefit patients.
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