Volume 5, Issue 9 2100402
Review

Nanotechnology-Assisted RNA Delivery: From Nucleic Acid Therapeutics to COVID-19 Vaccines

Chiara Rinoldi

Chiara Rinoldi

Department of Biosystems and Soft Matter, Institute of Fundamental Technological Research, Polish Academy of Sciences, ul. Pawińskiego 5B, Warsaw, 02-106 Poland

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Seyed Shahrooz Zargarian

Seyed Shahrooz Zargarian

Department of Biosystems and Soft Matter, Institute of Fundamental Technological Research, Polish Academy of Sciences, ul. Pawińskiego 5B, Warsaw, 02-106 Poland

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Pawel Nakielski

Pawel Nakielski

Department of Biosystems and Soft Matter, Institute of Fundamental Technological Research, Polish Academy of Sciences, ul. Pawińskiego 5B, Warsaw, 02-106 Poland

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Xiaoran Li

Xiaoran Li

Innovation Center for Textile Science and Technology, Donghua University, West Yan'an Road 1882, Shanghai, 200051 China

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Anna Liguori

Anna Liguori

Department of Chemistry “Giacomo Ciamician” and INSTM UdR of Bologna, University of Bologna, Via Selmi 2, Bologna, 40126 Italy

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Francesca Petronella

Francesca Petronella

Institute of Crystallography CNR-IC, National Research Council of Italy, Via Salaria Km 29.300, Monterotondo – Rome, 00015 Italy

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Dario Presutti

Dario Presutti

Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, ul. M. Kasprzaka 44/52, Warsaw, 01-224 Poland

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Qiusheng Wang

Qiusheng Wang

Innovation Center for Textile Science and Technology, Donghua University, West Yan'an Road 1882, Shanghai, 200051 China

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Marco Costantini

Marco Costantini

Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, ul. M. Kasprzaka 44/52, Warsaw, 01-224 Poland

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Luciano De Sio

Luciano De Sio

Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Research Center for Biophotonics, Sapienza University of Rome, Corso della Repubblica 79, Latina, 04100 Italy

CNR-Lab. Licryl, Institute NANOTEC, Arcavacata di Rende, 87036 Italy

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Chiara Gualandi

Chiara Gualandi

Department of Chemistry “Giacomo Ciamician” and INSTM UdR of Bologna, University of Bologna, Via Selmi 2, Bologna, 40126 Italy

Interdepartmental Center for Industrial Research on Advanced Applications in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Technology, CIRI-MAM, University of Bologna, Viale Risorgimento 2, Bologna, 40136 Italy

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Bin Ding

Bin Ding

Innovation Center for Textile Science and Technology, Donghua University, West Yan'an Road 1882, Shanghai, 200051 China

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Filippo Pierini

Corresponding Author

Filippo Pierini

Department of Biosystems and Soft Matter, Institute of Fundamental Technological Research, Polish Academy of Sciences, ul. Pawińskiego 5B, Warsaw, 02-106 Poland

E-mail: [email protected]

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First published: 28 July 2021
Citations: 39

Abstract

In recent years, the main quest of science has been the pioneering of the groundbreaking biomedical strategies needed for achieving a personalized medicine. Ribonucleic acids (RNAs) are outstanding bioactive macromolecules identified as pivotal actors in regulating a wide range of biochemical pathways. The ability to intimately control the cell fate and tissue activities makes RNA-based drugs the most fascinating family of bioactive agents. However, achieving a widespread application of RNA therapeutics in humans is still a challenging feat, due to both the instability of naked RNA and the presence of biological barriers aimed at hindering the entrance of RNA into cells. Recently, material scientists’ enormous efforts have led to the development of various classes of nanostructured carriers customized to overcome these limitations. This work systematically reviews the current advances in developing the next generation of drugs based on nanotechnology-assisted RNA delivery. The features of the most used RNA molecules are presented, together with the development strategies and properties of nanostructured vehicles. Also provided is an in-depth overview of various therapeutic applications of the presented systems, including coronavirus disease vaccines and the newest trends in the field. Lastly, emerging challenges and future perspectives for nanotechnology-mediated RNA therapies are discussed.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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