Peptide-Based Nanoassemblies in Gene Therapy and Diagnosis: Paving the Way for Clinical Application

Abstract

Nanotechnology approaches play an important role in developing novel and efficient carriers for biomedical applications. Peptides are particularly appealing to generate such nanocarriers because they can be rationally designed to serve as building blocks for self-assembling nanoscale structures with great potential as therapeutic or diagnostic delivery vehicles. In this review, we describe peptide-based nanoassemblies and highlight features that make them particularly attractive for the delivery of nucleic acids to host cells or improve the specificity and sensitivity of probes in diagnostic imaging. We outline the current state in the design of peptides and peptide-conjugates and the paradigms of their self-assembly into well-defined nanostructures, as well as the co-assembly of nucleic acids to form less structured nanoparticles. Various recent examples of engineered peptides and peptide-conjugates promoting self-assembly and providing the structures with wanted functionalities are presented. The advantages of peptides are not only their biocompatibility and biodegradability, but the possibility of sheer limitless combinations and modifications of amino acid residues to induce the assembly of modular, multiplexed delivery systems. Moreover, functions that nature encoded in peptides, such as their ability to target molecular recognition sites, can be emulated repeatedly in nanoassemblies. Finally, we present recent examples where self-assembled peptide-based assemblies with “smart” activity are used in vivo. Gene delivery and diagnostic imaging in mouse tumor models exemplify the great potential of peptide nanoassemblies for future clinical applications.

Green synthesis of metal nanoparticles using microorganisms and their application in the agrifood sector

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Non-viral Vectors in Gene Therapy: Recent Development, Challenges, and Prospects

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Multifunctional Delivery Systems for Peptide Nucleic Acids

“…Recently, amphipathic peptides, cell penetrating peptides conjugates and peptide-liposome complexes were used for the realization of self-assembled nanostructures [ 210 ]. Similarly to the self-assembled lipids- and phospholipids-based systems reported in Section 5 , peptide and protein constructs can be used to transfect nucleic acids or proteins within cells.…”