Intracellular nucleic acid nanotechnology

Nucleic acid nanotechnology has emerged as a versatile tool for the rational design of smart nanoscale architectures to function within cells or at the cell surface. Key features that make these nanostructures particularly well suited for intracellular use include their predictable geometry, modular design, precise spatial addressability, large repertoire of functional components, biocompatibility, capacity to perform molecular logic operations, and stimuli-responsive cargo capture and release. In this review, we highlight recent advances in the use of nucleic acid nanotechnology as synthetic cellular machinery for cell engineering, as intracellular diagnostic sensors, and as platforms for targeted therapeutic delivery and membrane-associated therapeutics. We further discuss both intracellularly delivered DNA nanostructures and genetically encoded RNA nanostructures, highlighting the distinct opportunities offered by each platform for in cellulo and in vivo applications.