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Chandler M, Johnson B, Khisamutdinov E, Dobrovolskaia MA, Sztuba-Solinska J, Salem AK, Breyne K, Chammas R, Walter NG, Contreras LM, Guo P, Afonin KA. The International Society of RNA Nanotechnology and Nanomedicine (ISRNN): The Present and Future of the Burgeoning Field. ACS NANO 2021; 15:16957-16973. [PMID: 34677049 PMCID: PMC9023608 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c10240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan Chandler
- Nanoscale Science Program, Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223, United States
| | - Brittany Johnson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223, United States
| | - Emil Khisamutdinov
- Department of Chemistry, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana 47304, United States
| | - Marina A Dobrovolskaia
- Nanotechnology Characterization Lab, Cancer Research Technology Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland 21702, United States
| | - Joanna Sztuba-Solinska
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, 120 W. Samford Avenue, Rouse Life Sciences Building, Auburn, Alabama 36849, United States
| | - Aliasger K Salem
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Pharmacy, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, United States
| | - Koen Breyne
- Molecular Neurogenetics Unit, Department of Neurology and Center for Molecular Imaging Research, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachussets 02114, United States
| | - Roger Chammas
- Nanoscale Science Program, Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223, United States
- Centro de Investigação Translacional em Oncologia, Departamento de Radiologia e Oncologia, Instituto do Cancer do Estado de São Paulo - ICESP, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo - FMUSP, Avenida Dr. Arnaldo 251, Cerqueira César, São Paulo 01246-000, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Nils G Walter
- Single Molecule Analysis Group, Department of Chemistry and Center for RNA Biomedicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Lydia M Contreras
- McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering and Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78714, United States
| | - Peixuan Guo
- Center for RNA Nanobiotechnology and Nanomedicine, College of Pharmacy, Division of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Medicine, Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, James Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, United States
| | - Kirill A Afonin
- Nanoscale Science Program, Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223, United States
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Johnson MB, Halman JR, Miller DK, Cooper JS, Khisamutdinov E, Marriott I, Afonin KA. The immunorecognition, subcellular compartmentalization, and physicochemical properties of nucleic acid nanoparticles can be controlled by composition modification. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:11785-11798. [PMID: 33091133 PMCID: PMC7672449 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2020] [Revised: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan Brittany Johnson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, USA
| | - Justin R Halman
- Nanoscale Science Program, Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
| | - Daniel K Miller
- Department of Chemistry, Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306, USA
| | - Joseph S Cooper
- Department of Chemistry, Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306, USA
| | | | - Ian Marriott
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, USA
| | - Kirill A Afonin
- Nanoscale Science Program, Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
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Juneja R, Vadarevu H, Halman J, Tarannum M, Rackley L, Dobbs J, Marquez J, Chandler M, Afonin K, Vivero-Escoto JL. Combination of Nucleic Acid and Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles: Optimization and Therapeutic Performance In Vitro. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2020; 12:38873-38886. [PMID: 32805923 PMCID: PMC7748385 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c07106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Programmable nucleic acid nanoparticles (NANPs) with precisely controlled functional compositions can regulate the conditional activation of various biological pathways and responses in human cells. However, the intracellular delivery of NANPs alone is hindered by their susceptibility to nuclease activity and inefficient crossing of biological membranes. In this work, we optimized the internalization and therapeutic performance of several representative NANPs delivered with mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNPs) tailored for efficient electrostatic association with NANPs. We compared the immunostimulatory properties of different NA-MS-NP complexes formed with globular, planar, and fibrous NANPs and demonstrated the maximum immunostimulation for globular NANPs. As a proof of concept, we assessed the specific gene silencing by NA-MS-NP complexes functionalized with siRNA targeting green fluorescent protein expressed in triple-negative human breast cancer cells. We showed that the fibrous NANPs have the highest silencing efficiency when compared to globular or planar counterparts. Finally, we confirmed the multimodal ability of MSNPs to co-deliver a chemotherapy drug, doxorubicin, and NANPs targeting apoptosis regulator gene BCL2 in triple-negative breast cancer and melanoma cell lines. Overall, the combination of NANPs and MSNPs may become a new promising approach to efficiently treat cancer and other diseases via the simultaneous targeting of various pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ridhima Juneja
- Department of Chemistry, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223, United States
| | - Hemapriyadarshini Vadarevu
- Department of Chemistry, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223, United States
- Nanoscale Science Program, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223, United States
| | - Justin Halman
- Department of Chemistry, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223, United States
- Nanoscale Science Program, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223, United States
| | - Mubin Tarannum
- Department of Chemistry, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223, United States
- Nanoscale Science Program, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223, United States
| | - Lauren Rackley
- Department of Chemistry, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223, United States
| | - Jacob Dobbs
- Department of Chemistry, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223, United States
| | - Jose Marquez
- Department of Chemistry, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223, United States
| | - Morgan Chandler
- Department of Chemistry, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223, United States
- Nanoscale Science Program, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223, United States
| | - Kirill Afonin
- Department of Chemistry, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223, United States
- Nanoscale Science Program, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223, United States
- The Center for Biomedical Engineering and Science, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223, United States
| | - Juan L Vivero-Escoto
- Department of Chemistry, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223, United States
- Nanoscale Science Program, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223, United States
- The Center for Biomedical Engineering and Science, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223, United States
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Afonin KA, Dobrovolskaia MA, Church G, Bathe M. Opportunities, Barriers, and a Strategy for Overcoming Translational Challenges to Therapeutic Nucleic Acid Nanotechnology. ACS NANO 2020; 14:9221-9227. [PMID: 32706238 PMCID: PMC7731581 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c04753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Recent clinical successes using therapeutic nucleic acids (TNAs) have accelerated the transition of nucleic acid nanotechnology toward therapeutic applications. Significant progress in the development, production, and characterization of nucleic acid nanomaterials and nucleic acid nanoparticles (NANPs), as well as abundant proof-of-concept data, are paving the way toward biomedical applications of these materials. This recent progress has catalyzed the development of new strategies for biosensing, imaging, drug delivery, and immunotherapies with previously unrecognized opportunities and identified some barriers that may impede the broader clinical translation of NANP technologies. A recent workshop sponsored by the Kavli Foundation and the Materials Research Society discussed the future directions and current challenges for the development of therapeutic nucleic acid nanotechnology. Herein, we communicate discussions on the opportunities, barriers, and strategies for realizing the clinical grand challenge of TNA nanotechnology, with a focus on ways to overcome barriers to advance NANPs to the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirill A Afonin
- Nanoscale Science Program, Department of Chemistry, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223, United States
| | - Marina A Dobrovolskaia
- Nanotechnology Characterization Lab, Cancer Research Technology Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland 21702, United States
| | - George Church
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
- Harvard Graduate Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Mark Bathe
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
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Chandler M, Johnson MB, Panigaj M, Afonin KA. Innate immune responses triggered by nucleic acids inspire the design of immunomodulatory nucleic acid nanoparticles (NANPs). Curr Opin Biotechnol 2020; 63:8-15. [PMID: 31778882 PMCID: PMC7246180 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2019.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2019] [Accepted: 10/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The unknown immune stimulation by nucleic acid nanoparticles (NANPs) has become one of the major impediments to a broad spectrum of clinical developments of this novel technology. Having evolved to defend against bacterial and viral nucleic acids, mammalian cells have established patterns of recognition that are also the pathways through which NANPs can be processed. Explorations into the immune stimulation brought about by a vast diversity of known NANPs have shown that variations in design correlate with variations in immune response. Therefore, as the mechanisms of stimulation are further elucidated, these trends are now being taken into account in the design phase to allow for development of NANPs that are tailored for controlled immune activation or quiescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan Chandler
- Nanoscale Science Program, Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 9201 University City Boulevard, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
| | - Morgan Brittany Johnson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 9201 University City Boulevard, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
| | - Martin Panigaj
- Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Safarik University in Kosice, Kosice, 041 54, Slovak Republic
| | - Kirill A Afonin
- Nanoscale Science Program, Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 9201 University City Boulevard, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA; The Center for Biomedical Engineering and Science, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA.
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Panigaj M, Johnson MB, Ke W, McMillan J, Goncharova EA, Chandler M, Afonin KA. Aptamers as Modular Components of Therapeutic Nucleic Acid Nanotechnology. ACS NANO 2019; 13:12301-12321. [PMID: 31664817 PMCID: PMC7382785 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.9b06522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Nucleic acids play a central role in all domains of life, either as genetic blueprints or as regulators of various biochemical pathways. The chemical makeup of ribonucleic acid (RNA) or deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), generally represented by a sequence of four monomers, also provides precise instructions for folding and higher-order assembly of these biopolymers that, in turn, dictate biological functions. The sequence-based specific 3D structures of nucleic acids led to the development of the directed evolution of oligonucleotides, SELEX (systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment), against a chosen target molecule. Among the variety of functions, selected oligonucleotides named aptamers also allow targeting of cell-specific receptors with antibody-like precision and can deliver functional RNAs without a transfection agent. The advancements in the field of customizable nucleic acid nanoparticles (NANPs) opened avenues for the design of nanoassemblies utilizing aptamers for triggering or blocking cell signaling pathways or using aptamer-receptor combinations to activate therapeutic functionalities. A recent selection of fluorescent aptamers enables real-time tracking of NANP formation and interactions. The aptamers are anticipated to contribute to the future development of technologies, enabling an efficient assembly of functional NANPs in mammalian cells or in vivo. These research topics are of top importance for the field of therapeutic nucleic acid nanotechnology with the promises to scale up mass production of NANPs suitable for biomedical applications, to control the intracellular organization of biological materials to enhance the efficiency of biochemical pathways, and to enhance the therapeutic potential of NANP-based therapeutics while minimizing undesired side effects and toxicities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Panigaj
- Nanoscale Science Program, Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223, United States
- Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Safarik University in Kosice, Kosice 04154, Slovak Republic
| | - M. Brittany Johnson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223, United States
| | - Weina Ke
- Nanoscale Science Program, Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223, United States
| | - Jessica McMillan
- Nanoscale Science Program, Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223, United States
| | - Ekaterina A. Goncharova
- Nanoscale Science Program, Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223, United States
- Laboratory of Solution Chemistry of Advanced Materials and Technologies, ITMO University, St. Petersburg 191002, Russian Federation
| | - Morgan Chandler
- Nanoscale Science Program, Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223, United States
| | - Kirill A. Afonin
- Nanoscale Science Program, Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina 28223, United States
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