DNA Origami: Daunorubicin‐Loaded DNA Origami Nanostructures Circumvent Drug‐Resistance Mechanisms in a Leukemia Model (Small 3/2016)

Abstract

DNA origami "Trojan horse" nanostructures provide an effective delivery approach to circumvent drug resistance in leukemia cells. These 100 nanometer delivery vehicles, described on page 308 by C. E. Castro and co-workers, are easily fabricated in 10 min and can be precisely loaded with commonly used anthracycline chemotherapeutic drugs. Drug-loaded DNA origami nanostructures enter cells via endocytosis, allowing the drug to bypass defenses in the cell membrane that are effective against free drug. This approach leads to larger amounts of drug in cells, which is later released due to decreasing pH and enzymatic degradation, ultimately improving drug efficacy.