Tissue-specific targeting of DNA nanodevices in a multicellular living organism

Nucleic acid nanodevices present great potential as agents for logic-based therapeutic intervention as well as in basic biology. Often, however, the disease targets that need corrective action are localized in specific organs, and thus realizing the full potential of DNA nanodevices also requires ways to target them to specific cell types in vivo. Here, we show that by exploiting either endogenous or synthetic receptor-ligand interactions and leveraging the biological barriers presented by the organism, we can target extraneously introduced DNA nanodevices to specific cell types in Caenorhabditis efegans, with subcellular precision. The amenability of DNA nanostructures to tissue-specific targeting in vivo significantly expands their utility in biomedical applications and discovery biology.

Automated summary

Nucleic acid nanodevices have great potential for logic-based therapeutic intervention and basic biology. By utilizing receptor-ligand interactions and biological barriers, these nanodevices can be targeted to specific cell types with subcellular precision in vivo, expanding their utility in biomedical applications and discovery biology.