Enzyme-Instructed Self-Assembly for Cancer Therapy and Imaging

Abstract

Enzymatic reactions and self-assembly are two fundamental attributes of cells. It is not surprising that one can use enzyme-instructed self-assembly (EISA) - the integration of enzymatic transformation and molecular self-assembly - to modulate the emergent properties of supramolecular assemblies for controlling cell behaviors. The exploration of EISA for developing cancer therapy and imaging has made considerable progress over the last five years. In this Topical Review, we discuss these exciting results and the future promise of EISA. After describing several key studies to illustrate the progress of EISA in developing cancer therapy, we discuss the use of EISA for molecular imaging. Then, we give the outlook of EISA for developing supramolecular anticancer medicine that inhibits multiple hallmark capabilities of cancer.