WCSS Team Made Important Progress in the Field of Framework Nucleic Acid Nanomaterials
The design of the DNA tetrahedron capable of active targeting.
The research team led by Prof. Yunfeng Lin from West China School of Stomatology (WCSS), Sichuan University, has made important progress in the biological application of framework nucleic acid nanomaterials.
The relevant result, "A dynamic DNA tetrahedron framework for active targeting", published in the international authoritative journal Nature Protocols, described an active drug targeting strategy based on tetrahedral DNA nanostructure (TDN), providing a broader method and idea for the construction and development of intelligent biomedical materials.
The strategy was based on tetrahedral DNA nanostructured carriers, which achieve stimulus-responsive on-demand drug release control based on stable drug encapsulation for purposes, such as sustained-release control and targeted drug delivery, thereby forming a versatile drug delivery universal platform.
TDN has been demonstrated to have a unique value in the delivery of various bioactive molecules for its excellent biocompatibility, tuneability, and cell/tissue penetrability. The paper proposed a significant update to TDN carriers based on the preliminary research, which enabled active targeting strategies for conformational changes and drug release in response to the environment. Such strategies can avoid the complex synthesis procedures of other DNA carriers and overcome the drawbacks of other carriers with insufficient cell-penetrating abilities. Rational design of TDN size based on drug type and a one-pot method is applied to fabricate TDN exoskeletons. Dynamic DNA devices are then integrated into the exoskeleton to achieve dynamic structural responses based on targets and environmental stimuli, such as DNA strand hybridization and pH-sensitive DNA devices.
Illustration of two dynamic DNA apparatus candidates.
The dynamic structure has shown good targeting and effectiveness in anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory therapy and has good prospects in the construction of related smart biomedical materials.
Sichuan University is the only corresponding unit of the paper. Assoc. Prof. Taoran Tian, Assoc. Prof. Tao Zhang, and Assoc. Prof. Sirong Shi are the co-first authors of this paper.
For more details on this study, please click the link below.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41596-022-00791-7
