Integrating CRISPR/Cas systems with programmable DNA nanostructures for delivery and beyond

Petteri Piskunen; Rosalind Latham; Christopher E West; Matteo Castronovo; Veikko Linko

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2022.104389

Integrating CRISPR/Cas systems with programmable DNA nanostructures for delivery and beyond

iScience. 2022 May 11;25(6):104389. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104389. eCollection 2022 Jun 17.

Authors

Petteri Piskunen¹, Rosalind Latham^{2

3}, Christopher E West², Matteo Castronovo³, Veikko Linko^{1

4}

Affiliations

¹ Biohybrid Materials, Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, Aalto University, P.O. Box 16100, 00076 Aalto, Finland.
² Centre for Plant Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
³ School of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
⁴ LIBER Center of Excellence, Aalto University School of Chemical Engineering, P.O. Box. 16100, 00076 Aalto, Finland.

Abstract

Precise genome editing with CRISPR/Cas paves the way for many biochemical, biotechnological, and medical applications, and consequently, it may enable treatment of already known and still-to-be-found genetic diseases. Meanwhile, another rapidly emerging field-structural DNA nanotechnology-provides a customizable and modular platform for accurate positioning of nanoscopic materials, for e.g., biomedical uses. This addressability has just recently been applied in conjunction with the newly developed gene engineering tools to enable impactful, programmable nanotechnological applications. As of yet, self-assembled DNA nanostructures have been mainly employed to enhance and direct the delivery of CRISPR/Cas, but lately the groundwork has also been laid out for other intriguing and complex functions. These recent advances will be described in this perspective.

Keywords: Genetics; Nanostructure; Nanotechnology.

Publication types

Review