Be first to read the latest tech news, Industry Leader's Insights, and CIO interviews of medium and large enterprises exclusively from Medical Tech Outlook
THANK YOU FOR SUBSCRIBING
By
MedTech Outlook | Wednesday, July 06, 2022
A group of researchers have found that DNA nanotechnology is not harmful to animal systems and can be optimised for various medical applications.
FREMONT, CA: Developments in nanotechnology have enabled biomedical applications such as drug delivery and vaccine development, allowing for the fabricating of structures of DNA. A group of researchers recently discovered the safety of the utilisation of nanotechnology by using it on mice.
Stay ahead of the industry with exclusive feature stories on the top companies, expert insights and the latest news delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe today.
DNA origami, a process that folds complementary strands of DNA into double helixes multiple times, can help in delivering medicines and performing other tasks in the body. The technique can be used to construct tiny devices with complex shapes that can be injected into the body for the process. However, there was no certainty that nanotechnology was harmless, and scientists thought that it could be toxic by causing dangerous immune responses in animal systems. A team of researchers published the results of the experiment on mice to understand biodistribution using nanotechnology. Their results highlighted slight changes in the immune response with the use of a high number of DNA devices. But they are not as dangerous as expected and can benefit from various other therapeutic applications.
Two distinct nanostructures were focused on in the experiment to understand their biodistribution and toxicity of them. Tri, a flat single-layer 2D triangle, and Horse, a 3D rod-shaped structure, were the nanostructures focused on identifying the changes in mice with the use of nanotechnology. For 10 days, 60 female mice were continuously given IV injections of both DNA Origami structures. The injections were increased 10 times each time to test the safety of the technology. Researchers observed that the experiment created certain shape-dependent inflammatory responses, but they diminished over time. This led the researchers to conclude that the reaction caused was harmless to the animals. Therefore, the technology can be applied to drug delivery in preclinical development.
The results showed that the immune cells internalised the nanostructures, but there were differences between the original amount and the period they sustained in the body. Since they are biocompatible, the nanostructures can clear the body quickly, which can ensure that they will be targeted only to disease-affected cells. However, scientists are uncertain about how other nanostructures might affect the body when used inside the body. Scientists are yet to discover the challenges and find suitable solutions to the issue because there can be various changes in the biological systems when such technologies are used in the human body.
However, as the results showed positive responses, scientists are now focusing on using the devices for chemotherapy drugs and learning how they can be optimised for targeting cancer cells in animals. But the research and experimentation are on the surface level, and they are in the process of comprehending the applications of nanotechnological at multiple levels.
More in News
I agree We use cookies on this website to enhance your user experience. By clicking any link on this page you are giving your consent for us to set cookies. More info
