Butler F.N., Elibol O., Hines B.D., Reddy Jr. B., Bashir R., Bergstrom D.E.
Purdue University, US
Keywords: LNA, locked nucleic acid, nanoparticles, peptide nucleic acid, PNA
We are exploring peptide nucleic acid (PNA) assemblies as interesting scaffolds for the fabrication of nanomaterials relevant to the diagnosis and treatment of disease. The first assembly is a PNA/LNA (locked nucleic acid) duplex employed in the heat-mediated selective functionalization of arrayed nanodevices. The ultimate goal of this arrayed approach is the detection of multiple miRNA sequences simultaneously with high throughput and specificity. Since miRNAs have been linked to certain disease states in various types of cancers, their detection may help lead to early diagnosis in a clinical setting. Another type of assemblies we investigate is PNA nanoparticles that self-assemble based on the ability of our PNA sequence to tile via hybridization in the parallel direction. We have discovered the ability of our PNA nanoparticles to traverse breast cancer cell membranes, making them a promising platform for the delivery of oligonucleotide probes.
Journal: TechConnect Briefs
Volume: 2, Nanotechnology 2008: Life Sciences, Medicine & Bio Materials – Technical Proceedings of the 2008 NSTI Nanotechnology Conference and Trade Show, Volume 2
Published: June 1, 2008
Pages: 369 - 371
Industry sector: Medical & Biotech
Topics: Biomaterials, Materials for Drug & Gene Delivery
ISBN: 978-1-4200-8504-4