title: DNA Nanostructures as Smart Drug-Delivery Vehicles and Molecular Devices.
abstract: DNA molecules can be assembled into custom predesigned shapes via hybridization of sequence-complementary domains. The folded structures have high spatial addressability and a tremendous potential to serve as platforms and active components in a plethora of bionanotechnological applications. DNA is a truly programmable material, and its nanoscale engineering thus opens up numerous attractive possibilities to develop novel methods for therapeutics. The tailored molecular devices could be used in targeting cells and triggering the cellular actions in the biological environment. In this review we focus on the DNA-based assemblies - primarily DNA origami nanostructures - that could perform complex tasks in cells and serve as smart drug-delivery vehicles in, for example, cancer therapy, prodrug medication, and enzyme replacement therapy.
authors.affiliation: Biohybrid Materials, Department of Biotechnology and Chemical Technology, Aalto University, PO Box 16100, 00076 Aalto, Finland.
authors.forename: Veikko
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Linko
authors.affiliation: Biohybrid Materials, Department of Biotechnology and Chemical Technology, Aalto University, PO Box 16100, 00076 Aalto, Finland.
authors.forename: Ari
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ora
authors.affiliation: Biohybrid Materials, Department of Biotechnology and Chemical Technology, Aalto University, PO Box 16100, 00076 Aalto, Finland. Electronic address: mauri.kostiainen@aalto.fi.
authors.forename: Mauri A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Kostiainen
mesh_terms: D020029:Base Pairing; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D056947:Enzyme Replacement Therapy / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013106:Sphingolipidoses / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D004247:DNA
keywords: DNA nanotechnology; DNA origami; biocomputing; biosensing; cell uptake; drug delivery; enzymatic payloads; immunostimulation; self-assembly