Professor Yunfeng Lin's Team Publishes Sichuan University's First Nature Protocols Paper of the Year!

Recently, Professor Yunfeng Lin’s team published a breakthrough study titled "A bioswitchable delivery system for microRNA therapeutics based on a tetrahedral DNA nanostructure" in the prestigious journal Nature Protocols. This marks the first Nature Protocols paper published by Sichuan University this year, reporting significant progress in the development of a microRNA (miRNA) delivery system based on framework nucleic acids. The study provides new methods and application strategies for miRNA therapies using tetrahedral nucleic acids.

The paper was co-authored by Professors Xiaoxiao Cai and Yunfeng Lin, with key contributions from Assistant Researcher Songhang Li, Associate Professor Taoran Tian, and Associate Researcher Tao Zhang, all from Professor Lin’s team. The team designed and developed an innovative bioswitchable delivery system (BDS) based on tetrahedral nucleic acids, showcasing its unique value in nucleic acid drug delivery. Building on existing delivery methods, the study introduces an RNase H-sensitive sequence as a triggering mechanism to create this bioswitchable delivery system, which enables precise and controlled release of therapeutic miRNAs.

The new BDS not only enhances the stability of therapeutic miRNAs during transportation but also improves their ability to penetrate cells and tissues. By selecting appropriate BDS design strategies based on the sequence of therapeutic miRNAs, Professor Lin's team successfully developed a biologically controllable delivery device. The innovative application of tetrahedral nucleic acids in drug delivery points to exciting possibilities for precision miRNA-based therapies in the future. This research offers a novel approach for using tetrahedral framework drug delivery systems in treatment and opens up vast potential for miRNA applications in smart biomaterials.

The original article: 

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41596-024-01050-7