Scientists at Harvard's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering have mimicked viral tactics to build the first DNA nanodevices that survive the body's immune defenses. Lipid-coated DNA nanodevices closely resemble those viruses and evade the immune defenses of mice.
The results pave the way for smart DNA nanorobots that could use logic to diagnose cancer earlier and more accurately than doctors can today; target drugs to tumors, or even manufacture drugs on the spot to cripple cancer.
"We're mimicking virus functionality to eventually build therapeutics that specifically target cells," said Wyss Institute Core Faculty member William Shih, Ph.D., the paper's senior author. Shih is also an Associate Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at Harvard Medical School and Associate Professor of Cancer Biology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
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ACS Nano - Virus-Inspired Membrane Encapsulation of DNA Nanostructures To Achieve In Vivo Stability
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The results pave the way for smart DNA nanorobots that could use logic to diagnose cancer earlier and more accurately than doctors can today; target drugs to tumors, or even manufacture drugs on the spot to cripple cancer.
"We're mimicking virus functionality to eventually build therapeutics that specifically target cells," said Wyss Institute Core Faculty member William Shih, Ph.D., the paper's senior author. Shih is also an Associate Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at Harvard Medical School and Associate Professor of Cancer Biology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
ACS Nano - Virus-Inspired Membrane Encapsulation of DNA Nanostructures To Achieve In Vivo Stability
Read more »
