Challenges to optimizing RNA nanostructures for large scale production and controlled therapeutic properties

Advancing mRNA Therapeutics: The Role and Future of Nanoparticle Delivery Systems

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has underscored the critical role of mRNA-based vaccines as powerful, adaptable, readily manufacturable, and safe methodologies for prophylaxis. mRNA-based treatments are emerging as a hopeful avenue for a plethora of conditions, encompassing infectious diseases, cancer, autoimmune diseases, genetic diseases, and rare disorders. Nonetheless, the in vivo delivery of mRNA faces challenges due to its instability, suboptimal delivery, and potential for triggering undesired immune reactions. In this context, the development of effective drug delivery systems, particularly nanoparticles (NPs), is paramount. Tailored with biophysical and chemical properties and susceptible to surface customization, these NPs have demonstrated enhanced mRNA delivery in vivo and led to the approval of several NPs-based formulations for clinical use. Despite these advancements, the necessity for developing a refined, targeted NP delivery system remains imperative. This review comprehensively surveys the biological, translational, and clinical progress in NPs-mediated mRNA therapeutics for both the prevention and treatment of diverse diseases. By addressing critical factors for enhancing existing methodologies, it aims to inform the future development of precise and efficacious mRNA-based therapeutic interventions.

RNA nanostructures for targeted drug delivery and imaging

The RNA molecule plays a pivotal role in many biological processes by relaying genetic information, regulating gene expression, and serving as molecular machines and catalyzers. This inherent versatility of RNA has fueled significant advancements in the field of RNA nanotechnology, driving the engineering of complex nanoscale architectures toward biomedical applications, including targeted drug delivery and bioimaging. RNA polymers, serving as building blocks, offer programmability and predictability of Watson-Crick base pairing, as well as non-canonical base pairing, for the construction of nanostructures with high precision and stoichiometry. Leveraging the ease of chemical modifications to protect the RNA from degradation, researchers have developed highly functional and biocompatible RNA architectures and integrated them into preclinical studies for the delivery of payloads and imaging agents. This review offers an educational introduction to the use of RNA as a biopolymer in the design of multifunctional nanostructures applied to targeted delivery in vivo, summarizing physical and biological barriers along with strategies to overcome them. Furthermore, we highlight the most recent progress in the development of both small and larger RNA nanostructures, with a particular focus on imaging reagents and targeted cancer therapeutics in pre-clinical models and provide insights into the prospects of this rapidly evolving field.

Structure, folding and flexibility of co-transcriptional RNA origami

RNA origami is a method for designing RNA nanostructures that can self-assemble through co-transcriptional folding with applications in nanomedicine and synthetic biology. However, to advance the method further, an improved understanding of RNA structural properties and folding principles is required. Here we use cryogenic electron microscopy to study RNA origami sheets and bundles at sub-nanometre resolution revealing structural parameters of kissing-loop and crossover motifs, which are used to improve designs. In RNA bundle designs, we discover a kinetic folding trap that forms during folding and is only released after 10 h. Exploration of the conformational landscape of several RNA designs reveal the flexibility of helices and structural motifs. Finally, sheets and bundles are combined to construct a multidomain satellite shape, which is characterized by individual-particle cryo-electron tomography to reveal the domain flexibility. Together, the study provides a structural basis for future improvements to the design cycle of genetically encoded RNA nanodevices.

High-throughput screens identify a lipid nanoparticle that preferentially delivers mRNA to human tumors in vivo

Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are a clinically relevant way to deliver therapeutic mRNA to hepatocytes in patients. However, LNP-mRNA delivery to end-stage solid tumors such as head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remains more challenging. While scientists have used in vitro assays to evaluate potential nanoparticles for HNSCC delivery, high-throughput delivery assays performed directly in vivo have not been reported. Here we use a high-throughput LNP assay to evaluate how 94 chemically distinct nanoparticles delivered nucleic acids to HNSCC solid tumors in vivo. DNA barcodes were used to identify LNPHNSCC, a novel LNP for systemic delivery to HNSCC solid tumors. Importantly, LNPHNSCC retains tropism to HNSCC solid tumors while minimizing off-target delivery to the liver.

A versatile, high-efficiency platform for CRISPR-based gene activation

CRISPR-mediated transcriptional activation (CRISPRa) is a powerful technology for inducing gene expression from endogenous loci with exciting applications in high throughput gain-of-function genomic screens and the engineering of cell-based models. However, current strategies for generating potent, stable, CRISPRa-competent cell lines present limitations for the broad utility of this approach. Here, we provide a high-efficiency, self-selecting CRISPRa enrichment strategy, which combined with piggyBac transposon technology enables rapid production of CRISPRa-ready cell populations compatible with a variety of downstream assays. We complement this with an optimized guide RNA scaffold that significantly enhances CRISPRa functionality. Finally, we describe a synthetic guide RNA tool set that enables transient, population-wide gene activation when used with the self-selecting CRISPRa system. Taken together, this versatile platform greatly enhances the potential for CRISPRa across a wide variety of cellular contexts.

Light-Assisted Drying for the Thermal Stabilization of Nucleic Acid Nanoparticles and Other Biologics

Cold-chain storage can be challenging and expensive for the transportation and storage of biologics, especially in low-resource settings. Nucleic acid nanoparticles (NANPs) are an example of new biological products that require refrigerated storage. Light-assisted drying (LAD) is a new processing technique to prepare biologics for anhydrous storage in a trehalose amorphous solid matrix at ambient temperatures. Small volume samples (10 μL) containing NANPs are irradiated with a 1064 nm laser to speed the evaporation of water and create an amorphous trehalose preservation matrix. In previous studies, samples were stored for 1 month at 4 °C or 20 °C without degradation. A FLIR SC655 mid-IR camera is used to record the temperature of samples during processing. The trehalose matrix was characterized using polarized light imaging to determine if crystallization occurred during processing or storage. Damage to LAD-processed NANPs was assessed after processing and storage using gel electrophoresis.

Expanding Structural Space for Immunomodulatory Nucleic Acid Nanoparticles (Nanps) via Spatial Arrangement of Their Therapeutic Moieties

Different therapeutic nucleic acids (TNAs) can be unified in a single structure by their elongation with short oligonucleotides designed to self-assemble into nucleic acid nanoparticles (NANPs). With this approach, therapeutic cocktails with precisely controlled composition and stoichiometry of active ingredients can be delivered to the same diseased cells for enhancing pharmaceutical action. In this work, an additional nanotechnology-based therapeutic option that enlists a biocompatible NANP-encoded platform for their controlled patient-specific immunorecognition is explored. For this, a set of representative functional NANPs is extensively characterized in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo and then further analyzed for immunostimulation of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells freshly collected from healthy donor volunteers. The results of the study present the advancement of the current TNA approach toward personalized medicine and offer a new strategy to potentially address top public health challenges related to drug overdose and safety through the biodegradable nature of the functional platform with immunostimulatory regulation.

The Application of Light-Assisted Drying to the Thermal Stabilization of Nucleic Acid Nanoparticles

Background: Cold-chain storage can be challenging and expensive for the transportation and storage of biologics, especially in low-resource settings. Nucleic acid nanoparticles (NANPs) are an example of new biological products that require refrigerated storage. Light-assisted drying (LAD) is a new processing technique to prepare biologics for anhydrous storage in a trehalose amorphous solid matrix at ambient temperatures. In this study, LAD was used to thermally stabilize four types of NANPs with differing structures and melting temperatures. Methods: Small volume samples (10 μL) containing NANPs were irradiated with a 1064 nm laser to speed the evaporation of water and create an amorphous trehalose preservation matrix. Samples were then stored for 1 month at 4°C or 20°C. A FLIR C655 mid-IR camera was used to record the temperature of samples during processing. The trehalose matrix was characterized using polarized light imaging (PLI) to determine if crystallization occurred during processing or storage. Damage to LAD-processed NANPs was assessed after processing and storage using gel electrophoresis. Results: Based on the end moisture content (EMC) as a function time and the thermal histories of samples, a LAD processing time of 30 min is sufficient to achieve low EMCs for the 10 μL samples used in this study. PLI demonstrates that the trehalose matrix was resistant to crystallization during processing and after storage at 4°C and at room temperature. The native-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis results for DNA cubes, RNA cubes, and RNA rings indicate that the main structures of these NANPs were not damaged significantly after LAD processing and being stored at 4°C or at room temperature for 1 month. Conclusions: These preliminary studies indicate that LAD processing can stabilize NANPs for dry-state storage at room temperature, providing an alternative to refrigerated storage for these nanomedicine products.

Petkov P, Milenov TI, Vayssilov GN. Sodium and Magnesium Ion Location at the Backbone and at the Nucleobase of RNA: Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics in Water Solution

The interactions between Na⁺ or Mg²⁺ ions with different parts of single-stranded RNA molecules, namely, the oxygen atoms from the phosphate groups or the guanine base, in water solution have been studied using first-principles molecular dynamics. Sodium ions were found to be much more mobile than Mg²⁺ ions and readily underwent transitions between a state directly bonded to RNA oxygen atoms and a completely solvated state. The inner solvation shell of Na⁺ ions fluctuated stochastically at a femtosecond timescale coordinating on average 5 oxygen atoms for bonded Na⁺ ions and 5.5 oxygen atoms for solvated Na⁺ ions. In contrast, the inner solvation shell of Mg²⁺ ions was stable in both RNA-bonded and completely solvated states. In both cases, Mg²⁺ ions coordinated 6 oxygen atoms from the inner solvation shell. Consistent with their stable solvation shells, Mg²⁺ ions were more effective than Na⁺ ions in stabilizing the RNA backbone conformation. The exclusion zones between the first and second solvation shells, solvation shell widths, and angles for binding to carbonyl oxygen of guanine for solvated Na⁺ or Mg²⁺ ions exhibited a number of quantitative differences when compared with RNA crystallographic data. The presented results support the distinct capacity of Mg²⁺ ions to support the RNA structure not only in the crystal phase but also in the dynamic water environment both on the side of the phosphate moiety and on the side of the nucleobase.

The dynamic, motile and deformative properties of RNA nanoparticles facilitate the third milestone of drug development

Besides mRNA, rRNA, and tRNA, cells contain many other noncoding RNA that display critical roles in the regulation of cellular functions. Human genome sequencing revealed that the majority of non-protein-coding DNA actually codes for non-coding RNAs. The dynamic nature of RNA results in its motile and deformative behavior. These conformational transitions such as the change of base-pairing, breathing within complemented strands, and pseudoknot formation at the 2D level as well as the induced-fit and conformational capture at the 3D level are important for their biological functions including regulation, translation, and catalysis. The dynamic, motile and catalytic activity has led to a belief that RNA is the origin of life. We have recently reported that the deformative property of RNA nanoparticles enhances their penetration through the leaky blood vessel of cancers which leads to highly efficient tumor accumulation. This special deformative property also enables RNA nanoparticles to pass the glomerulus, overcoming the filtration size limit, resulting in fast renal excretion and rapid body clearance, thus low or no toxicity. The biodistribution of RNA nanoparticles can be further improved by the incorporation of ligands for cancer targeting. In addition to the favorable biodistribution profiles, RNA nanoparticles possess other properties including self-assembly, negative charge, programmability, and multivalency; making it a great material for pharmaceutical applications. The intrinsic negative charge of RNA nanoparticles decreases the toxicity of drugs by preventing nonspecific binding to the negative charged cell membrane and enhancing the solubility of hydrophobic drugs. The polyvalent property of RNA nanoparticles allows the multi-functionalization which can apply to overcome drug resistance. This review focuses on the summary of these unique properties of RNA nanoparticles, which describes the mechanism of RNA dynamic, motile and deformative properties, and elucidates and prepares to welcome the RNA therapeutics as the third milestone in pharmaceutical drug development.

Drug delivery systems for RNA therapeutics

RNA-based gene therapy requires therapeutic RNA to function inside target cells without eliciting unwanted immune responses. RNA can be ferried into cells using non-viral drug delivery systems, which circumvent the limitations of viral delivery vectors. Here, we review the growing number of RNA therapeutic classes, their molecular mechanisms of action, and the design considerations for their respective delivery platforms. We describe polymer-based, lipid-based, and conjugate-based drug delivery systems, differentiating between those that passively and those that actively target specific cell types. Finally, we describe the path from preclinical drug delivery research to clinical approval, highlighting opportunities to improve the efficiency with which new drug delivery systems are discovered.

Anhydrous Nucleic Acid Nanoparticles for Storage and Handling at Broad Range of Temperatures

Recent advances in nanotechnology now allow for the methodical implementation of therapeutic nucleic acids (TNAs) into modular nucleic acid nanoparticles (NANPs) with tunable physicochemical properties which can match the desired biological effects, provide uniformity, and regulate the delivery of multiple TNAs for combinatorial therapy. Despite the potential of novel NANPs, the maintenance of their structural integrity during storage and shipping remains a vital issue that impedes their broader applications. Cold chain storage is required to maintain the potency of NANPs in the liquid phase, which greatly increases transportation costs. To promote long-term storage and retention of biological activities at higher temperatures (e.g., +50 °C), a panel of representative NANPs is first exposed to three different drying mechanisms-vacuum concentration (SpeedVac), lyophilization (Lyo), and light-assisted drying (LAD)-and then rehydrated and analyzed. While SpeedVac primarily operates using heat, Lyo avoids temperature increases by taking advantage of pressure reduction and LAD involves a near-infrared laser for uniform drying in the presence of trehalose. This work compares and defines refinements crucial in formulating an optimal strategy for producing stable, fully functional NANPs and presents a forward advancement in their development for clinical applications.

Critical review of nucleic acid nanotechnology to identify gaps and inform a strategy for accelerated clinical translation

With numerous recent advances, the field of therapeutic nucleic acid nanotechnology is now poised for clinical translation supported by several examples of FDA-approved nucleic acid nanoformulations including two recent mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines. Within this rapidly growing field, a new subclass of nucleic acid therapeutics called nucleic acid nanoparticles (NANPs) has emerged in recent years, which offers several unique properties distinguishing it from traditional therapeutic nucleic acids. Key unique aspects of NANPs include their well-defined 3D structure, their tunable multivalent architectures, and their ability to incorporate conditional activations of therapeutic targeting and release functions that enable diagnosis and therapy of cancer, regulation of blood coagulation disorders, as well as the development of novel vaccines, immunotherapies, and gene therapies. However, non-consolidated research developments of this highly interdisciplinary field create crucial barriers that must be overcome in order to impact a broader range of clinical indications. Forming a consortium framework for nucleic acid nanotechnology would prioritize and consolidate translational efforts, offer several unifying solutions to expedite their transition from bench-to-bedside, and potentially decrease the socio-economic burden on patients for a range of conditions. Herein, we review the unique properties of NANPs in the context of therapeutic applications and discuss their associated translational challenges.

Application of Nucleic Acid Frameworks in the Construction of Nanostructures and Cascade Biocatalysts: Recent Progress and Perspective

Nucleic acids underlie the storage and retrieval of genetic information literally in all living organisms, and also provide us excellent materials for making artificial nanostructures and scaffolds for constructing multi-enzyme systems with outstanding performance in catalyzing various cascade reactions, due to their highly diverse and yet controllable structures, which are well determined by their sequences. The introduction of unnatural moieties into nucleic acids dramatically increased the diversity of sequences, structures, and properties of the nucleic acids, which undoubtedly expanded the toolbox for making nanomaterials and scaffolds of multi-enzyme systems. In this article, we first introduce the molecular structures and properties of nucleic acids and their unnatural derivatives. Then we summarized representative artificial nanomaterials made of nucleic acids, as well as their properties, functions, and application. We next review recent progress on constructing multi-enzyme systems with nucleic acid structures as scaffolds for cascade biocatalyst. Finally, we discuss the future direction of applying nucleic acid frameworks in the construction of nanomaterials and multi-enzyme molecular machines, with the potential contribution that unnatural nucleic acids may make to this field highlighted.

The International Society of RNA Nanotechnology and Nanomedicine (ISRNN): The Present and Future of the Burgeoning Field

The International Society of RNA Nanotechnology and Nanomedicine (ISRNN) hosts an annual meeting series focused on presenting the latest research achievements involving RNA-based therapeutics and strategies, aiming to expand their current biomedical applications while overcoming the remaining challenges of the burgeoning field of RNA nanotechnology. The most recent online meeting hosted a series of engaging talks and discussions from an international cohort of leading nanotechnologists that focused on RNA modifications and modulation, dynamic RNA structures, overcoming delivery limitations using a variety of innovative platforms and approaches, and addressing the newly explored potential for immunomodulation with programmable nucleic acid nanoparticles. In this Nano Focus, we summarize the main discussion points, conclusions, and future directions identified during this two-day webinar as well as more recent advances to highlight and to accelerate this exciting field.

Exosomes as natural delivery carriers for programmable therapeutic nucleic acid nanoparticles (NANPs)

With recent advances in nanotechnology and therapeutic nucleic acids (TNAs), various nucleic acid nanoparticles (NANPs) have demonstrated great promise in diagnostics and therapeutics. However, the full realization of NANPs' potential necessitates the development of a safe, efficient, biocompatible, stable, tissue-specific, and non-immunogenic delivery system. Exosomes, the smallest extracellular vesicles and an endogenous source of nanocarriers, offer these advantages while avoiding complications associated with manufactured agents. The lipid membranes of exosomes surround a hydrophilic core, allowing for the simultaneous incorporation of hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs, nucleic acids, and proteins. Additional capabilities for post-isolation exosome surface modifications with imaging agents, targeting ligands, and covalent linkages also pave the way for their diverse biomedical applications. This review focuses on exosomes: their biogenesis, intracellular trafficking, transportation capacities, and applications with emphasis on the delivery of TNAs and programmable NANPs. We also highlight some of the current challenges and discuss opportunities related to the development of therapeutic exosome-based formulations and their clinical translation.

The Recognition of and Reactions to Nucleic Acid Nanoparticles by Human Immune Cells

The relatively straightforward methods of designing and assembling various functional nucleic acids into nanoparticles offer advantages for applications in diverse diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. However, due to the novelty of this approach, nucleic acid nanoparticles (NANPs) are not yet used in the clinic. The immune recognition of NANPs is among the areas of preclinical investigation aimed at enabling the translation of these novel materials into clinical settings. NANPs’ interactions with the complement system, coagulation systems, and immune cells are essential components of their preclinical safety portfolio. It has been established that NANPs’ physicochemical properties—composition, shape, and size—determine their interactions with immune cells (primarily blood plasmacytoid dendritic cells and monocytes), enable recognition by pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) such as Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and RIG-I-like receptors (RLRs), and mediate the subsequent cytokine response. However, unlike traditional therapeutic nucleic acids (e.g., CpG oligonucleotides), NANPs do not trigger a cytokine response unless they are delivered into the cells using a carrier. Recently, it was discovered that the type of carrier provides an additional tool for regulating both the spectrum and the magnitude of the cytokine response to NANPs. Herein, we review the current knowledge of NANPs’ interactions with various components of the immune system to emphasize the unique properties of these nanomaterials and highlight opportunities for their use in vaccines and immunotherapy.

Nucleic acid nanoparticles (NANPs) as molecular tools to direct desirable and avoid undesirable immunological effects

Nucleic acid nanoparticles (NANPs) represent a highly versatile molecular platform for the targeted delivery of various therapeutics. However, despite their promise, further clinical translation of this innovative technology can be hindered by immunological off-target effects. All human cells are equipped with an arsenal of receptors that recognize molecular patterns specific to foreign nucleic acids and understanding the rules that guide this recognition offer the key rationale for the development of therapeutic NANPs with tunable immune stimulation. Numerous recent studies have provided increasing evidence that in addition to NANPs' physicochemical properties and therapeutic effects, their interactions with cells of the immune system can be regulated through multiple independently programmable architectural parameters. The results further suggest that defined immunomodulation by NANPs can either support their immunoquiescent delivery or be used for conditional stimulation of beneficial immunological responses.

In Vivo Production of RNA Aptamers and Nanoparticles: Problems and Prospects

RNA aptamers are becoming increasingly attractive due to their superior properties. This review discusses the early stages of aptamer research, the main developments in this area, and the latest technologies being developed. The review also highlights the advantages of RNA aptamers in comparison to antibodies, considering the great potential of RNA aptamers and their applications in the near future. In addition, it is shown how RNA aptamers can form endless 3-D structures, giving rise to various structural and functional possibilities. Special attention is paid to the Mango, Spinach and Broccoli fluorescent RNA aptamers, and the advantages of split RNA aptamers are discussed. The review focuses on the importance of creating a platform for the synthesis of RNA nanoparticles in vivo and examines yeast, namely Saccharomyces cerevisiae, as a potential model organism for the production of RNA nanoparticles on a large scale.

Engineering bioscaffolds for enzyme assembly

With the demand for green, safe, and continuous biocatalysis, bioscaffolds, compared with synthetic scaffolds, have become a desirable candidate for constructing enzyme assemblages because of their biocompatibility and regenerability. Biocompatibility makes bioscaffolds more suitable for safe and green production, especially in food processing, production of bioactive agents, and diagnosis. The regenerability can enable the engineered biocatalysts regenerate through simple self-proliferation without complex re-modification, which is attractive for continuous biocatalytic processes. In view of the unique biocompatibility and regenerability of bioscaffolds, they can be classified into non-living (polysaccharide, nucleic acid, and protein) and living (virus, bacteria, fungi, spore, and biofilm) bioscaffolds, which can fully satisfy these two unique properties, respectively. Enzymes assembled onto non-living bioscaffolds are based on single or complex components, while enzymes assembled onto living bioscaffolds are based on living bodies. In terms of their unique biocompatibility and regenerability, this review mainly covers the current advances in the research and application of non-living and living bioscaffolds with focus on engineering strategies for enzyme assembly. Finally, the future development of bioscaffolds for enzyme assembly is also discussed. Hopefully, this review will attract the interest of researchers in various fields and empower the development of biocatalysis, biomedicine, environmental remediation, therapy, and diagnosis.

The immunorecognition, subcellular compartmentalization, and physicochemical properties of nucleic acid nanoparticles can be controlled by composition modification

Nucleic acid nanoparticles (NANPs) have become powerful new platforms as therapeutic and diagnostic tools due to the innate biological ability of nucleic acids to identify target molecules or silence genes involved in disease pathways. However, the clinical application of NANPs has been limited by factors such as chemical instability, inefficient intracellular delivery, and the triggering of detrimental inflammatory responses following innate immune recognition of nucleic acids. Here, we have studied the effects of altering the chemical composition of a circumscribed panel of NANPs that share the same connectivity, shape, size, charge and sequences. We show that replacing RNA strands with either DNA or chemical analogs increases the enzymatic and thermodynamic stability of NANPs. Furthermore, we have found that such composition changes affect delivery efficiency and determine subcellular localization, effects that could permit the targeted delivery of NANP-based therapeutics and diagnostics. Importantly, we have determined that altering NANP composition can dictate the degree and mechanisms by which cell immune responses are initiated. While RNA NANPs trigger both TLR7 and RIG-I mediated cytokine and interferon production, DNA NANPs stimulate minimal immune activation. Importantly, incorporation of 2'F modifications abrogates RNA NANP activation of TLR7 but permits RIG-I dependent immune responses. Furthermore, 2'F modifications of DNA NANPs significantly enhances RIG-I mediated production of both proinflammatory cytokines and interferons. Collectively this indicates that off-target effects may be reduced and/or desirable immune responses evoked based upon NANPs modifications. Together, our studies show that NANP composition provides a simple way of controlling the immunostimulatory potential, and physicochemical and delivery characteristics, of such platforms.

Exosome mediated delivery of functional nucleic acid nanoparticles (NANPs)

RNAi-based technologies have shown biomedical potential; however, safe and efficient delivery of RNA remains a barrier for their broader clinical applications. Nucleic acid nanoparticles (NANPs) programmed to self-assemble and organize multiple therapeutic nucleic acids (TNAs) also became attractive candidates for diverse therapeutic options. Various synthetic nanocarriers are used to deliver TNAs and NANPs, but their clinical translation is limited due to immunotoxicity. Exosomes are cell-derived nanovesicles involved in cellular communication. Due to their ability to deliver biomolecules, exosomes are a novel delivery choice. In this study, we explored the exosome-mediated delivery of NANPs designed to target GFP. We assessed the intracellular uptake, gene silencing efficiency, and immunostimulation of exosomes loaded with NANPs. We also confirmed that interdependent RNA/DNA fibers upon recognition of each other after delivery, can conditionally activate NF-kB decoys and prevent pro-inflammatory cytokines. Our study overcomes challenges in TNA delivery and demonstrates future studies in drug delivery systems.