Single molecule nucleic acid nanoparticles
AssigneeThe Regents of the University of California
InventorBradley T. Messmer
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Abstract
The present technology relates to a nanoparticle platform based on the unique and varied properties of DNA. Circular DNA can be replicated using a strand displacing polymerase to generate long linear concatamers of controllable length that spontaneously fold into a ball conformation due to internal base-pairing. These balls of DNA are discreet particles that can be made in variable sizes on a nanometer size scale in a scalable manner. The particles can be used in a variety of manners, discussed herein, including specific targeting, drug delivery to cancer cells, and diagnostics. Nanoparticles may also serve as multifunctional platforms for the integration of many currently used cancer therapeutic techniques.
Claims40
A method of making a nanoparticle comprising:
- contacting a circular single-stranded nucleic acid template with a nucleic acid polymerase, wherein said template includes a module sequence which binds to a target molecule bound on the surface of an intact cell, wherein the module sequence in monovalent form has low affinity for the target molecule and in multivalent form binds to the target molecule with a high avidity;
- and
- amplifying said template with said polymerase to produce said nanoparticle, wherein said nanoparticle comprises a continuous strand of nucleic acid which folds into a ball conformation and comprises a concatamer of said module sequence.
A non-naturally occurring nanoparticle comprising a single-strand nucleic acid comprising a continuous strand of nucleic acid which folds into a ball conformation and comprises a concatameric module sequence which binds to a target molecule bound on the surface of an intact cell, wherein the module sequence in monovalent form has low affinity for the target molecule and in multivalent form binds to the target molecule with a high avidity.
A library of nanoparticles comprising at least two populations of nanoparticles, wherein said each of said at least two populations comprise nanoparticles comprising a single-strand nucleic acid comprising a continuous strand of nucleic acid which folds into a ball conformation and comprises a concatamer of at least one different module sequence which binds to a target molecule bound on the surface of an intact cell, wherein the module sequence in monovalent form has low affinity for the target molecule and in multivalent form binds to the target molecule with a high avidity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.