DNA纳米机器:梦想照进现实

可进体内治病救人的纳米机器人一直是人们梦寐以求的未来科技和医疗手段.最近,国家纳米科学中心的丁宝全、聂广军等在这个方向取得了重要的突破,成功开发了基于DNA纳米机器的癌症免疫治疗疫苗.他们首先利用DNA折纸术构筑了一个可精确负载抗原和佐剂的管状结构,通过皮下注射递送至淋巴结,经由内吞在树突细胞内涵体内发生pH响应性的锁链打开,暴露抗原和佐剂,从而激活树突细胞,产生抗原特异性的T细胞,有效杀伤肿瘤细胞.该疫苗不仅可以有效抑制肿瘤的生长和复发,还诱导特异性记忆效应,可持续产生特异性的保护.这提供了一个精准递送分子药物的平台,让人看到成功发展纳米机器人的曙光,有望给医学和医疗保健带来重要变革.

DNA Nano-robot:What Dreams May Come

Nano-robots that are capable of entering the human body to cure disease and save life have been a science fiction and a futuristic therapeutic dream.Recently,Baoquan Ding’s group and Guangjun Nie’s group at the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology have made considerable progress in this direction with the development of a DNA nanodevice-based vaccine for cancer immunotherapy.A tubular DNA nanostructure was designed and prepared by first forming a DNA rectangle via DNA origami,precise loading of an antigen and two types of molecular adjuvants,and subsequent tube-closing by low pH-responsive DNA“locking strands”on the edge.When injected subcutaneously,this DNA nanodevice can be delivered efficiently to the draining lymph nodes and accumulates in lysosomes within the antigen-presenting cells.The local acidic subcellular environment triggers the release of the DNA locking strands to expose the vaccine and elicit a potent antigen-specific T-cell response,leading to significant tumor regression and inhibition of tumor reoccurrence in mouse cancer models.Impressively,they also demonstrate strong long-term memory effect of this vaccine against tumor rechallenge.All these features indicate that this DNA nanodevice provides a platform for precise and programmable delivery of molecular medicines.It is a milestone toward fulfilling the dream of the“nanorobot doctor”proposed by Feynman some seventy years ago and holds great promise to transform modern medicine and medical care.