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The DOI matches its Crossref record; 452 of the 452 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

The biological applications of DNA nanomaterials: current challenges and future directions

Open access
Ma, Wenjuan, Zhan, Yuxi, Zhang, Yuxin, Mao, Chenchen, Xie, Xueping, Lin, Yunfeng·2021·Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy

Abstract

DNA, a genetic material, has been employed in different scientific directions for various biological applications as driven by DNA nanotechnology in the past decades, including tissue regeneration, disease prevention, inflammation inhibition, bioimaging, biosensing, diagnosis, antitumor drug delivery, and therapeutics. With the rapid progress in DNA nanotechnology, multitudinous DNA nanomaterials have been designed with different shape and size based on the classic Watson–Crick base-pairing for molecular self-assembly. Some DNA materials could functionally change cell biological behaviors, such as cell migration, cell proliferation, cell differentiation, autophagy, and anti-inflammatory effects. Some single-stranded DNAs (ssDNAs) or RNAs with secondary structures via self-pairing, named aptamer, possess the ability of targeting, which are selected by systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) and applied for tumor targeted diagnosis and treatment. Some DNA nanomaterials with three-dimensional (3D) nanostructures and stable structures are investigated as drug carrier systems to delivery multiple antitumor medicine or gene therapeutic agents. While the functional DNA nanostructures have promoted the development of the DNA nanotechnology with innovative designs and preparation strategies, and also proved with great potential in the biological and medical use, there is still a long way to go for the eventual application of DNA materials in real life. Here in this review, we conducted a comprehensive survey of the structural development history of various DNA nanomaterials, introduced the principles of different DNA nanomaterials, summarized their biological applications in different fields, and discussed the current challenges and further directions that could help to achieve their applications in the future.

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Metadata

Authors
Ma, W., Zhan, Y., Zhang, Y., Mao, C., Xie, X., & Lin, Y.
Venue
Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy
Published
2021-10-08
Volume
6
Issue
1
Pages
351-351
ISSN
2059-3635 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3202014670
Cited by
331
References
452
FWCI
13.28
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
gold

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CoChat. (2026). Citation check: The biological applications of DNA nanomaterials: current challenges and future directions. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1038/s41392-021-00727-9
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Ma, W., Zhan, Y., Zhang, Y., Mao, C., Xie, X., & Lin, Y. (2021). The biological applications of DNA nanomaterials: current challenges and future directions. Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41392-021-00727-9

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