DNA nanomedicine: Engineering DNA as a polymer for therapeutic and diagnostic applications

Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2010 Apr 30;62(6):606-16. doi: 10.1016/j.addr.2010.03.004. Epub 2010 Mar 23.

Abstract

Nanomedicine, the application of nanotechnology to medicine, encompasses a broad spectrum of fields including molecular detection, diagnostics, drug delivery, gene regulation and protein production. In recent decades, DNA has received considerable attention for its functionality and versatility, allowing it to help bridge the gap between materials science and biological systems. The use of DNA as a structural nanoscale material has opened a new avenue towards the rational design of DNA nanostructures with different polymeric topologies. These topologies, in turn, possess unique characteristics that translate to specific therapeutic and diagnostic strategies within nanomedicine.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Aptamers, Nucleotide / metabolism
  • Aptamers, Nucleotide / therapeutic use
  • Biochemical Phenomena
  • Biopolymers* / metabolism
  • Biopolymers* / therapeutic use
  • DNA* / chemistry
  • DNA* / genetics
  • DNA* / therapeutic use
  • Dendrimers / metabolism
  • Dendrimers / therapeutic use
  • Drug Delivery Systems*
  • Gene Regulatory Networks
  • Genetic Phenomena
  • Genetic Therapy
  • Humans
  • Nanomedicine / methods*
  • Nanoparticles
  • Nanostructures
  • Nanotechnology / methods*
  • SELEX Aptamer Technique

Substances

  • Aptamers, Nucleotide
  • Biopolymers
  • Dendrimers
  • DNA