Cell‐derived vesicles retain the cytoplasm and much of the native cell membrane composition. Therefore, they are attractive for investigations of membrane biophysics, drug delivery systems, and complex molecular factories. However, their fragility and aggregation limit their applications. Here, the mechanical properties and stability of giant plasma membrane vesicles (GPMVs) are enhanced by decorating them with a specifically designed diblock copolymer, cholesteryl‐poly[2‐aminoethyl methacrylate‐b‐poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether acrylate]. When cross‐linked, this polymer brush enhances the stability of the GPMVs. Furthermore, the pH‐responsiveness of the copolymer layer allows for a controlled cargo loading/release, which may enable various bioapplications. Importantly, the cross‐linked‐copolymer GPMVs are not cytotoxic and preserve in vitro membrane integrity and functionality. This effective strategy to equip the cell‐derived vesicles with stimuli‐responsive cross‐linkable copolymers is expected to open a new route to the stabilization of natural membrane systems and overcome barriers to biomedical applications.
Concerns associated with nanocarriers’ therapeutic efficacy and side effects have led to the development of strategies to advance them into targeted and responsive delivery systems. Owing to their bioactivity and biocompatibility, peptides play a key role in these strategies and, thus, have been extensively studied in nanomedicine. Peptide-based nanocarriers, in particular, have burgeoned with advances in purely peptidic structures and in combinations of peptides, both native and modified, with polymers, lipids, and inorganic nanoparticles. In this review, we summarize advances on peptides promoting gene delivery systems. The efficacy of nucleic acid therapies largely depends on cell internalization and the delivery to subcellular organelles. Hence, the review focuses on nanocarriers where peptides are pivotal in ferrying nucleic acids to their site of action, with a special emphasis on peptides that assist anionic, water-soluble nucleic acids in crossing the membrane barriers they encounter on their way to efficient function. In a second part, we address how peptides advance nanoassembly delivery tools, such that they navigate delivery barriers and release their nucleic acid cargo at specific sites in a controlled fashion.
The design of non-viral vectors that efficiently deliver genetic materials into cells, in particular to the nucleus, remains a major challenge in gene therapy and vaccine development. To tackle the...
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