(Funded by the National Institutes of Health)
Historically, the vast majority of pharmaceutical drugs have been designed down to the atomic level, so that the specific location of each atom within the drug molecule determines how well it works and how safe it is. Now, Northwestern University and Mass General Brigham scientists argue that this precise structural control should be applied to optimize new nanomedicines. The scientists cite three examples of trailblazing structural nanomedicines: spherical nucleic acids (globular form of DNA that can easily enter cells and bind to targets), chemoflares (smart nanostructures that release chemotherapeutic drugs in response to cues in cancer cells) and megamolecules (precisely assembled protein structures that mimic antibodies).

(Funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. National science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health)
In 2023, researchers at Caltech developed a smart bandage that can provide real-time data about chronic wounds and accelerate the healing process by applying medication or electrical fields to stimulate tissue growth. Now, the researchers have shown that an improved version of their bandage can continually sample fluid, which the body sends to wound sites as part of the inflammatory response. The bandage is composed of a flexible, biocompatible polymer strip that integrates a nanoengineered biomarker sensor array, which is disposable for hygiene and single-use applications. The system also includes a reusable printed circuit board that handles signal processing and wireless data transmission to a user interface, such as a smartphone.

(Funded by the National Institutes of Health)
Researchers from the University of Michigan and the Biointerfaces Institute (Ann Arbor, MI), along with international collaborators, have created nanodiscs that can target cholesterol levels in glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive form of brain cancer, by starving the cancer cells and increasing survival rates of treated mice. The nanodiscs delivered molecules that increase the number of pumps that can export cholesterol out of tumor cells, resulting in their death. When used in combination with radiation therapy, more than 60% of the mice survived when compared to the mice that only received radiation. The nanodisks also had molecules on their surfaces that activate the body’s immune system. As a result, immune cells not only attacked the tumor but also were able to attack any future tumors.

(Funded by the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. National Science Foundation)
Researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Purdue University, and the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Chicago have created DNA origami structures – which are made by folding DNA into nanoscale scaffolds – that can selectively deliver fluorescent imaging agents to pancreatic cancer cells without affecting normal cells. The team experimented with different sizes of tube- and tile-shaped DNA origami structures. They found that tube-shaped structures about 70 nanometers in length and 30 nanometers in diameter, as well as ones that are about 6 nanometers in length and 30 nanometers in diameter, experienced the greatest uptake by the pancreatic cancer tissue while not being absorbed by the surrounding, noncancerous tissue. Larger tube-shaped structures and all sizes of tile-shaped structures did not perform as well.

(Funded by the National Institutes of Health)
A new study by Brown University researchers suggests that gold nanoparticles might one day be used to help restore vision in people with macular degeneration and other retinal disorders. The researchers showed that nanoparticles injected into the retina can successfully stimulate the visual system and restore vision in mice with retinal disorders. The findings suggest that a new type of visual prosthesis system in which nanoparticles, used in combination with a small laser device worn in a pair of glasses or goggles, might one day help people with retinal disorders to see again. The experiments showed that neither the nanoparticle solution nor the laser stimulation caused detectable adverse side effects, as indicated by metabolic markers for inflammation and toxicity.