Modular Engineering of a DNA Tetrahedron-Based Nanomachine for Ultrasensitive Detection of Intracellular Bioactive Small Molecules

Advancements in functional tetrahedral DNA nanostructures for multi-biomarker biosensing: Applications in disease diagnosis, food safety, and environmental monitoring

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) offers the fundamental building blocks for the precisely controlled assemblies due to its inherent self-assembly and programmability. The tetrahedral DNA nanostructure (TDN) stands out as a widely utilized nanostructure, attracting attention for its high biostability, excellent biocompatibility, and versatile modification sites. The capability of DNA tetrahedron to interact with various signal outputs makes it ideal for developing functional DNA nanostructures in biosensing platforms. This review highlights recent advancements in functional tetrahedral DNA nanostructures (FTDN) for various biomarkers monitoring, including nucleic acid, protein, mycotoxin, agent, and metal ion. Additionally, it discusses the potential of FTDN in the fields of disease diagnosis, food safety, and environmental monitoring. The review also introduces the application of FTDN-based biosensors for simultaneous identification of multiple biomarkers. Finally, challenges and prospects are addressed to provide guidance for the continued development of FTDN-based biosensing platforms.

Entropy driven-based catalytic biosensors for bioanalysis: From construction to application-A review

The rapid advancement of precision medicine and the continuous emergence of novel pathogens have presented new challenges for biosensors, necessitating higher requirements. Target amplification technology serves as the core component in biosensor construction. Enzyme-based amplification methods are often sensitive and selective but involve relatively complex operational steps, whereas enzyme-free amplification methods offer simplicity but frequently fail to meet both sensitivity and selectivity simultaneously. Existing research has confirmed that entropy-driven catalyst (EDC) biosensors not only fulfills the demands for sensitivity and selectivity concurrently but also offers ease of operation and flexibility in construction. In this review, we summarize the key advantages of EDC, explore how to construct DNA nanomachines based on these advantages to achieve intracellular detection and simultaneous detection of multiple targets, as well as point-of-care testing (POCT) to address practical issues in clinical diagnosis and treatment. We also anticipate potential challenges, propose corresponding solutions, and outline future development directions for EDC-based biosensors in practical clinical applications. We firmly believe that EDC sensors will emerge as a crucial branch within the realm of biosensor development.

All-In-One Entropy-Driven DNA Nanomachine for Tumor Cell-Selective Fluorescence/SERS Dual-Mode Imaging of MicroRNA

An entropy-driven catalysis (EDC) strategy is appealing for amplified bioimaging of microRNAs in living cells; yet, complex operation procedures, lacking of cell selectivity, and insufficient accuracy hamper its further applications. Here, we introduce an ingenious all-in-one entropy-driven DNA nanomachine (termed as AIO-EDN), which can be triggered by endogenous apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1 (APE1) to achieve tumor cell-selective dual-mode imaging of microRNA. Compared with the traditional EDC strategy, the integrated design of AIO-EDN achieves autocatalytic signal amplification without extra fuel strands. Moreover, the AIO-EDN leverages an endogenous APE1 overexpressed in cancer cells to activate the EDC reaction, which, however, exerts no target sensing activity in normal cells. Combining fluorescence- and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (FL/SERS) dual-mode imaging techniques, this DNA nanomachine exhibits significantly improved accuracy and tumor cell selectivity for microRNA imaging in living cells. This study provides a new paradigm to develop an integrated EDC-based platform and shows great potential in in-depth cancer diagnosis with high precision.

Functionalizing tetrahedral framework nucleic acids-based nanostructures for tumor in situ imaging and treatment

Timely in situ imaging and effective treatment are efficient strategies in improving the therapeutic effect and survival rate of tumor patients. In recent years, there has been rapid progress in the development of DNA nanomaterials for tumor in situ imaging and treatment, due to their unsurpassed structural stability, excellent material editability, excellent biocompatibility and individual endocytic pathway. Tetrahedral framework nucleic acids (tFNAs), are a typical example of DNA nanostructures demonstrating superior stability, biocompatibility, cell-entry performance, and flexible drug-loading ability. tFNAs have been shown to be effective in achieving timely tumor in situ imaging and precise treatment. Therefore, the progress in the fabrication, characterization, modification and cellular internalization pathway of tFNAs-based functional systems and their potential in tumor in situ imaging and treatment applications were systematically reviewed in this article. In addition, challenges and future prospects of tFNAs in tumor in situ imaging and treatment as well as potential clinical applications were discussed.

Biomolecules-mediated electrochemical signals of Cu2+: Y-DNA nanomachines enable homogeneous rapid one-step assay of lung cancer circulating tumor cells

This study presents a straightforward efficient technique for extracting circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and a rapid one-step electrochemical method (45 min) for detecting lung cancer A549 cells based on the specific recognition of mucin 1 using aptamers and the modulation of Cu2+ electrochemical signals by biomolecules. The CTCs separation and enrichment process can be completed within 45 min using lymphocyte separation solution (LSS), erythrocyte lysis solution (ELS), and three centrifugations. Besides, the influence of various biomolecules on Cu2+ electrochemical signals is comprehensively discussed, with DNA nanospheres selected as the medium. Three single-stranded DNA sequences were hybridized to form Y-shaped DNA (Y-DNA), creating DNA nanospheres. Upon specific capture of mucin 1 by the aptamer, most DNA nanospheres could form complexes with Cu2+ (DNA nanosphere-Cu2+), significantly reducing the concentration of free Cu2+. Our approach yielded the limit of detection (LOD) of 2 ag/mL for mucin 1 and 1 cell/mL for A549 cells. 39 clinical blood samples were used for further validation, yielding results closely correlated with pathological, computed tomography (CT) scan findings and folate receptor-polymerase chain reaction (FR-PCR) kits. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve displayed an area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.960, demonstrating 100% specificity and 93.1% sensitivity for the assay. Taken together, our findings indicate that this straightforward and efficient pretreatment and rapid, highly sensitive electrochemical assay holds great promise for liquid biopsy-based tumor detection using CTCs.

Chemically Modified Platforms for Better RNA Therapeutics

RNA-based therapies have catalyzed a revolutionary transformation in the biomedical landscape, offering unprecedented potential in disease prevention and treatment. However, despite their remarkable achievements, these therapies encounter substantial challenges including low stability, susceptibility to degradation by nucleases, and a prominent negative charge, thereby hindering further development. Chemically modified platforms have emerged as a strategic innovation, focusing on precise alterations either on the RNA moieties or their associated delivery vectors. This comprehensive review delves into these platforms, underscoring their significance in augmenting the performance and translational prospects of RNA-based therapeutics. It encompasses an in-depth analysis of various chemically modified delivery platforms that have been instrumental in propelling RNA therapeutics toward clinical utility. Moreover, the review scrutinizes the rationale behind diverse chemical modification techniques aiming at optimizing the therapeutic efficacy of RNA molecules, thereby facilitating robust disease management. Recent empirical studies corroborating the efficacy enhancement of RNA therapeutics through chemical modifications are highlighted. Conclusively, we offer profound insights into the transformative impact of chemical modifications on RNA drugs and delineates prospective trajectories for their future development and clinical integration.