Cationic Liposomes as Vectors for Nucleic Acid and Hydrophobic Drug Therapeutics.

Cationic liposomes (CLs) are effective carriers of a variety of therapeutics. Their applications as vectors of nucleic acids (NAs), from long DNA and mRNA to short interfering RNA (siRNA), have been pursued for decades to realize the promise of gene therapy, with approvals of the siRNA therapeutic patisiran and two mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 as recent milestones. The long-term goal of developing optimized CL-based NA carriers for a broad range of medical applications requires a comprehensive understanding of the structure of these vectors and their interactions with cell membranes and components that lead to the release and activity of the NAs within the cell.

Assembly of Building Blocks by Double-End-Anchored Polymers in the Dilute Regime Mediated by Hydrophobic Interactions at Controlled Distances.

Hierarchical assembly of building blocks via competing, orthogonal interactions is a hallmark of many of nature's composite materials that do not require highly specific ligand-receptor interactions. To mimic this assembly mechanism requires the development of building blocks capable of tunable interactions. In the present work, we explored the interplay between repulsive (steric and electrostatic) and attractive hydrophobic forces.

Synthesis of linear and cyclic peptide-PEG-lipids for stabilization and targeting of cationic liposome-DNA complexes.

Because nucleic acids (NAs) have immense potential value as therapeutics, the development of safe and effective synthetic NA vectors continues to attract much attention. In vivo applications of NA vectors require stabilized, nanometer-scale particles, but the commonly used approaches of steric stabilization with a polymer coat (e.g.

Biocompatibility and characterization of a peptide amphiphile hydrogel for applications in peripheral nerve regeneration.

Peripheral nerve injury is a debilitating condition for which new bioengineering solutions are needed. Autografting, the gold standard in treatment, involves sacrifice of a healthy nerve and results in loss of sensation or function at the donor site. One alternative solution to autografting is to use a nerve guide conduit designed to physically guide the nerve as it regenerates across the injury gap.

Active targeting of early and mid-stage atherosclerotic plaques using self-assembled peptide amphiphile micelles.

Inflammatory cell adhesion molecules expressed by endothelial cells on the luminal surface of atherosclerotic plaques, such as vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), provide a rational target for diagnostic and therapeutic delivery vehicles. Therefore, the potential of using spherical, self-assembled micelles synthesized from VCAM-1 targeted peptide amphiphile molecules was examined for the ability to specifically bind to both early and mid-stage atherosclerotic plaques. In vitro, cells incubated with VCAM-1 targeted and dye-labeled micelles show enhanced fluorescence signal as compared to cells incubated with a PEG micelle control.