Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Biophysics Graduate Program, Department of Physics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA.
Published: July 2022
AI Article Synopsis
Article Abstract
DNA origami (DO) nanotechnology enables the construction of precise nanostructures capable of functionalization with small molecule drugs, nucleic acids, and proteins, suggesting a promising platform for biomedical applications. Despite the potential for drug and vaccine delivery, the impact of DO vehicles on immunogenicity in vivo is not well understood. Here, two DO vehicles, a flat triangle and a nanorod, at varying concentrations are evaluated in vitro and with a repeated dosing regimen administered at a high dose in vivo to study early and late immunogenicity. The studies show normal CD11b myeloid cell populations preferentially internalize DO in vitro. DO structures distribute well systemically in vivo, elicit a modest pro-inflammatory immune response that diminishes over time and are nontoxic as shown by weight, histopathology, lack of cytokine storm, and a complete biochemistry panel at the day 10 end point. The results take critical steps to characterize the biological response to DO and suggest that DO vehicles represent a promising platform for drug delivery and vaccine development where immunogenicity should be a key consideration.
Biological systems utilize precise spatial organization to facilitate and regulate information transmission within signaling networks. Inspired by this, artificial scaffolds that enable delicate spatial arrangements are desirable to increase the local concentration of reactants, expedite specific interactions, and minimize undesired interference. In this study, we presented an integrated biosensing nanodevice, termed TRI-HCR, in which hybridization chain reaction (HCR) probes were precisely organized on a triangular DNA origami nanostructure (TRI) with finely-tuned distance, quantity, and pattern.
This paper explores how DNA nanotechnology enhances biosensors in medicine and pharmacology by taking advantage of the unique characteristics of DNA and the unique advantages of DNA origami technology. DNA origami allows the establishment of complex nanoobjects with precise size and complete molecular writability as well as the possibility of seamless integration and biocompatibility with biological systems. Utilizing this, the chemical denaturation of DNA chains allows for the combination of various functions, including organic fluorescence groups and photoreaction elements, This has allowed DNA origami to become a transformative tool in biotechnology and other fields because of its versatility, use in innovative applications improving the design and function of biosensors, and potential to provide greater possibilities for early disease diagnosis and personalized medicine.
Raman spectroscopy (RS) has emerged as a novel optical imaging modality by identifying molecular species through their bond vibrations, offering high specificity and sensitivity in molecule detection. However, its application in intracellular molecular probing has been limited due to challenges in combining vibrational tags with functional probes. DNA nanostructures, known for their high programmability, have been instrumental in fields like biomedicine and nanofabrication.
One of the frontiers of nanotechnology is advancing beyond the periodic self-assembly of materials. Icosahedral quasicrystals, aperiodic in all directions, represent one of the most challenging targets that has yet to be experimentally realized at the colloidal scale. Previous attempts have required meticulous human-designed building blocks and often resulted in interactions beyond the current experimental capabilities.
Over the last three decades, colloidal crystallization has provided an easy-to-craft platform for mesoscale engineering of photonic and phononic crystals. Nevertheless, the crystal lattices achieved thus far with commodity colloids are largely limited to symmetric and densely packed structures, restricting their functionalities. To obtain non-close-packed crystals and the resulting complexity of the available structures, directional binding between "patchy" colloids has been pursued.
