Spherical Nucleic Acids*

Abstract

This chapter provides a historical perspective of the development of spherical nucleic acid (SNA) conjugates and other three-dimensional nucleic acid nanostructures. It details the synthetic methods for preparing them, followed by a discussion of their unique properties and theoretical and experimental models for understanding them. The chapter presents important examples of technological advances made possible by their fundamental properties spanning the fields of chemistry, molecular diagnostics, gene regulation, medicine, and materials science. The physical SNA structures described are synthesized independent of nucleic acid sequence and hybridization; they are formed via chemical bonds, not recognition processes. SNA nanostructures are chemically quite sophisticated and can have markedly different properties depending upon the components and their placement within such structures. The chapter outlines some of the general design considerations of SNA–nanoparticles, their unusual properties, and what is understood about the structure–function relationships of these materials.