Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

siRNA - Small Interfering RNAs02:30

siRNA - Small Interfering RNAs

16.3K
Small interfering RNAs, or siRNAs, are short regulatory RNA molecules that can silence genes post-transcriptionally, as well as the transcriptional level in some cases. siRNAs are important for protecting cells against viral infections and silencing transposable genetic elements.
In the cytoplasm, siRNA is processed from a double-stranded RNA, which comes from either endogenous DNA transcription or exogenous sources like a virus. This double-stranded RNA is then cleaved by the...
16.3K
Small interfering RNAs (siRNA)02:30

Small interfering RNAs (siRNA)

3.3K
3.3K
Experimental RNAi02:15

Experimental RNAi

6.0K
RNA interference (RNAi) is a cellular mechanism that inhibits gene expression by suppressing its transcription or activating the RNA degradation process. The mechanism was discovered by Andrew Fire and Craig Mello in 1998 in plants. Today, it is observed in almost all eukaryotes, including protozoa, flies, nematodes, insects, parasites, and mammals. This precise cellular mechanism of gene silencing has been developed into a technique that provides an efficient way to identify and determine the...
6.0K
RNA Interference01:23

RNA Interference

25.7K
RNA interference (RNAi) is a process in which a small non-coding RNA molecule blocks the post-transcriptional expression of a gene by binding to its messenger RNA (mRNA) and preventing the protein from being translated.
This process occurs naturally in cells, often through the activity of genomically-encoded microRNAs. Researchers can take advantage of this mechanism by introducing synthetic RNAs to deactivate specific genes for research or therapeutic purposes. For example, RNAi could be used...
25.7K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Pulmonary mRNA-LNP vaccines for rapid and durable protection against bacterial infection.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Hydroxyl-Terminated Polyethylene Glycol Evades Human Pre-existing Anti-polyethylene Glycol Antibodies.

ACS nano·2026
Same author

Semiconductor Superlattice with Remarkable Raman Enhancement for Ultrafast Culture-Free Sensing of Multiple Pathogens.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026
Same author

Real-time visualization of collagen assembly uncovers metastable properties in hierarchical organization.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Insights Into Density Functional Performance From a Main-Group and Transition-Metal Molecular Benchmark.

Journal of computational chemistry·2026
Same author

Polyketal-conjugated tafluprost microparticles enable long-acting glaucoma therapy.

Nature communications·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 7, 2025

Porous Silicon Microparticles for Delivery of siRNA Therapeutics
08:31

Porous Silicon Microparticles for Delivery of siRNA Therapeutics

Published on: January 15, 2015

10.9K

Ionizable polymeric micelles (IPMs) for efficient siRNA delivery.

Ziyu Zhou1,2, Yu Feng1, Mingzhou Jiang3

  • 1Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Molecular Therapeutics and New Drug Development, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, PR China.

Nature Communications
|January 3, 2025
PubMed
Summary

New Ionizable Polymeric Micelles (IPMs) offer improved siRNA delivery, overcoming lipid nanoparticle challenges. These novel micelles enhance cellular uptake, reduce immune response, and show promise for treating liver fibrosis.

More Related Videos

Preparation of Neutrally-charged, pH-responsive Polymeric Nanoparticles for Cytosolic siRNA Delivery
09:09

Preparation of Neutrally-charged, pH-responsive Polymeric Nanoparticles for Cytosolic siRNA Delivery

Published on: May 2, 2019

7.4K
Assembly and Characterization of Polyelectrolyte Complex Micelles
08:44

Assembly and Characterization of Polyelectrolyte Complex Micelles

Published on: March 2, 2020

10.6K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 7, 2025

Porous Silicon Microparticles for Delivery of siRNA Therapeutics
08:31

Porous Silicon Microparticles for Delivery of siRNA Therapeutics

Published on: January 15, 2015

10.9K
Preparation of Neutrally-charged, pH-responsive Polymeric Nanoparticles for Cytosolic siRNA Delivery
09:09

Preparation of Neutrally-charged, pH-responsive Polymeric Nanoparticles for Cytosolic siRNA Delivery

Published on: May 2, 2019

7.4K
Assembly and Characterization of Polyelectrolyte Complex Micelles
08:44

Assembly and Characterization of Polyelectrolyte Complex Micelles

Published on: March 2, 2020

10.6K

Area of Science:

  • Biotechnology and Biomedical Engineering
  • Nanomedicine
  • Drug Delivery Systems

Background:

  • Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are common for nucleic acid delivery but suffer from poor targeting and accelerated blood clearance (ABC) effects.
  • Developing advanced delivery systems is crucial to overcome LNP limitations and improve therapeutic efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To design and evaluate novel Ionizable Polymeric Micelles (IPMs) as an alternative siRNA delivery system.
  • To assess the targeting ability, cellular uptake, gene silencing efficacy, and in vivo performance of IPMs compared to LNPs.

Main Methods:

  • Synthesized three ionizable oligomers (IOs) combined with polylactide-polyethylene glycol (PLA-PEG) to form IPMs.
  • Encapsulated siRNA within IPMs and evaluated lysosomal escape and gene silencing.
  • Developed fibroblast activation protein inhibitor-modified IPMs (FAPi-IPMs) for targeted delivery to activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs).
  • Assessed FAPi-IPM targeting specificity, collagen reduction, and liver inflammation mitigation in a fibrosis model.
  • Compared IPMs and FAPi-IPMs with LNPs regarding ABC effect, PEG antibody production, and apolipoprotein adsorption in vivo.

Main Results:

  • siRNA-loaded IPMs successfully escaped lysosomes and silenced target genes.
  • FAPi-IPMs demonstrated enhanced targeting of HSCs over hepatocytes, leading to reduced collagen secretion and liver inflammation, effectively treating fibrosis.
  • IPMs and FAPi-IPMs exhibited reduced ABC effect and lower PEG antibody generation compared to LNPs.
  • Minimal apolipoprotein adsorption was observed for IPMs in vivo, distinguishing them from LNPs.

Conclusions:

  • Ionizable Polymeric Micelles (IPMs) represent a promising nucleic acid delivery platform with distinct targeting capabilities.
  • IPMs effectively mitigate the accelerated blood clearance effect and reduce immunogenicity compared to traditional LNPs.
  • The FAPi-IPM system shows potential for targeted therapy of liver fibrosis by selectively silencing key fibrotic genes in HSCs.