Intracellular delivery of more than one protein with spatio-temporal control

Near-Infrared Light Activated Formulation for the Spatially Controlled Release of CRISPR-Cas9 Ribonucleoprotein for Brain Gene Editing

The CRISPR/Cas9 system has emerged as a promising platform for gene editing; however, the lack of an efficient and safe delivery system to introduce it into cells continues to hinder clinical translation. Here, we report a rationally designed gene-editing nanoparticle (NP) formulation for brain applications: an sgRNA:Cas9 ribonucleoprotein complex is immobilized on the NP surface by oligonucleotides that are complementary to the sgRNA. Irradiation of the formulation with a near-infrared (NIR) laser generates heat in the NP, leading to the release of the ribonucleoprotein complex. The gene-editing potential of the formulation was demonstrated in vitro at the single-cell level. The safety and gene editing of the formulation were also demonstrated in the brains of reporter mice, specifically in the subventricular zone after intracerebral administration and in the olfactory bulb after intranasal administration. The formulation presented here offers a new strategy for the spatially controlled delivery of the CRISPR system to the brain.

Design and fabrication of intracellular therapeutic cargo delivery systems based on nanomaterials: current status and future perspectives

Intracellular cargo delivery, the introduction of small molecules, proteins, and nucleic acids into a specific targeted site in a biological system, is an important strategy for deciphering cell function, directing cell fate, and reprogramming cell behavior. With the advancement of nanotechnology, many researchers use nanoparticles (NPs) to break through biological barriers to achieving efficient targeted delivery in biological systems, bringing a new way to realize efficient targeted drug delivery in biological systems. With a similar size to many biomolecules, NPs possess excellent physical and chemical properties and a certain targeting ability after functional modification on the surface of NPs. Currently, intracellular cargo delivery based on NPs has emerged as an important strategy for genome editing regimens and cell therapy. Although researchers can successfully deliver NPs into biological systems, many of them are delivered very inefficiently and are not specifically targeted. Hence, the development of efficient, target-capable, and safe nanoscale drug delivery systems to deliver therapeutic substances to cells or organs is a major challenge today. In this review, on the basis of describing the research overview and classification of NPs, we focused on the current research status of intracellular cargo delivery based on NPs in biological systems, and discuss the current problems and challenges in the delivery process of NPs in biological systems.

Engineering optical tools for remotely controlled brain stimulation and regeneration

Neurological disorders are one of the world's leading medical and societal challenges due to the lack of efficacy of the first line treatment. Although pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions have been employed with the aim of regulating neuronal activity and survival, they have failed to avoid symptom relapse and disease progression in the vast majority of patients. In the last 5 years, advanced drug delivery systems delivering bioactive molecules and neuromodulation strategies have been developed to promote tissue regeneration and remodel neuronal circuitry. However, both approaches still have limited spatial and temporal precision over the desired target regions. While external stimuli such as electromagnetic fields and ultrasound have been employed in the clinic for non-invasive neuromodulation, they do not have the capability of offering single-cell spatial resolution as light stimulation. Herein, we review the latest progress in this area of study and discuss the prospects of using light-responsive nanomaterials to achieve on-demand delivery of drugs and neuromodulation, with the aim of achieving brain stimulation and regeneration.

A near infrared light-triggerable modular formulation for the delivery of small biomolecules

Background

Externally triggered drug delivery systems hold considerable promise for improving the treatment of many diseases, in particular, diseases where the spatial–temporal release of the drug is critical to maximize their biological effect whilst minimizing undesirable, off-target, side effects.

Results

Herein, we developed a light-triggerable formulation that takes advantage of host–guest chemistry to complex drugs functionalized with a guest molecule and release it after exposure to near infrared (NIR) light due to the disruption of the non-covalent host–guest interactions. The system is composed by a gold nanorod (AuNR), which generates plasmonic heat after exposure to NIR, a thin layer of hyaluronic acid immobilized to the AuNR upon functionalization with a macrocycle, cucurbit[6]uril (CB[6]), and a drug functionalized with a guest molecule that interacts with the macrocycle. For proof of concept, we have used this formulation for the intracellular release of a derivative of retinoic acid (RA), a molecule known to play a key role in tissue development and homeostasis as well as during cancer treatment. We showed that the formulation was able to conjugate approximately 65 μg of RA derivative per mg of CB[6] @AuNR and released it within a few minutes after exposure to a NIR laser. Importantly, the bioactivity of RA released from the formulation was demonstrated in a reporter cell line expressing luciferase under the control of the RA receptor.

Conclusions

This NIR light-triggered supramolecular-based modular platform holds great promise for theranostic applications.