Cell Surface Engineering with DNA Nanotechnology: From Molecular Design to Biological Application

The cell membrane plays a central role in signal transduction and material exchange between cells and their surrounding microenvironment. Engineering functional molecules onto the cell surface offers a powerful strategy to regulate cell behavior for biomedical applications. DNA nanotechnology has become a highly promising platform for this purpose owing to its programmable assembly, nanoscale addressability, and excellent biocompatibility. This review first discusses the anchoring strategies of DNA-based cell surface modification, covering noncovalent and covalent approaches. Then the recent progress is highlighted in biological applications of DNA-based cell surface engineering, including programming cell-cell interactions, biosensing of cellular microenvironment, regulation of signal transduction, and disease surveillance and treatment. Finally, the remaining challenges and the prospects of DNA-based cell surface engineering regarding the future development of this technology into biomedical research and therapeutic applications are also discussed.