Structure dictates effectiveness, safety in nanomedicine

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).