DNA-based, microRNA-sensing artificial cells for diagnostics and therapeutics

microRNA（miRs）在癌症患者的体液中经常被发现失调，并且在早期诊断中具有巨大的潜力。令人惊讶的是，目前还没有基于miR检测的癌症诊断测试。在这里，我们将应用DNA纳米技术来构建“人工细胞”，用于患者样本中癌症相关miR的多重检测和定量。人工细胞将由DNA浓缩物组成，靶miR可以通过DNA浓缩物扩散并与特异性结合位点相互作用，导致特征性反应扩散荧光模式。这些可以被记录和建模，以确定/量化目标。该技术将在前列腺癌中过表达的miR上进行体外测试，然后使用癌症患者血清或血浆，可能为早期检测特别关键的疾病开启新的非侵入性诊断途径。然后，生物相容性人工细胞将被进一步工程化以在miR检测时释放治疗有效载荷，从而为未来的治疗平台奠定基础，其中AC可以在体内部署为通过局部miR上调激活的靶向低毒性癌症治疗。

MicroRNAs (miRs) are frequently found to be deregulated in bodily fluids of cancer patients and have great potential for early-stage diagnosis. Surprisingly, there is currently no cancer diagnostic test based on miR detection. Here, we will apply DNA nanotechnology to build "artificial cells" for multiplexed detection and quantitation of cancer-related miRs in patient samples. The artificial cells will consist of DNA condensates through which the target miRs can diffuse and interact with specific binding sites, leading to characteristic reaction-diffusion fluorescent patterns. These can be recorded and modelled to identify/quantify targets. The technology will be tested in vitro on miRs overexpressed in prostate cancer, and then with cancer-patient serum or plasma, potentially unlocking a new non-invasive diagnostic route for a disease where early detection is particularly critical. The biocompatible artificial cells will then be further engineered to release therapeutic payloads upon miR detection, thus laying the foundations for a future therapeutic platform where ACs could be deployed in vivo as a targeted, low-toxicity cancer treatment activated by local miR upregulation.