Isit possible to fabricate materials for genetic engineering exclusively with well-known substances like DNA or RNA, without relying on nanotechnology?
In the rapidly evolving field of genetic engineering, the focus is shifting towards the use of biological substances such as DNA, RNA, proteins, and lipid-based components. This approach, which eschews the reliance on nanotechnology as traditionally defined, offers a promising and safer route for gene therapy and synthetic biology.
Advances in molecular biology and synthetic genomics have made it increasingly possible to design sophisticated genetic systems using only these biological substances. DNA and RNA molecules themselves can be engineered into functional nanostructures, known as DNA origami, capable of creating programmable nanopores or delivery vehicles mimicking natural biomolecular transport systems. These DNA-based nanostructures combine flexibility and specificity without requiring synthetic nanomaterials.
Molecular tools like CRISPR-Cas systems (including Cas9, Cas12, Cas13 variants) and engineered recombinases rely on RNA guides and protein complexes formed from known biological components to achieve precise genome editing. Recent progress includes high-precision editing platforms such as prime editors, recombinase engineering via AI-informed protein evolution, and scarless editing techniques that function entirely with natural or engineered biomolecules.
While non-viral delivery methods often use polymeric nanoparticles (PNPs) to improve delivery efficiency and targeting in vivo, these are a form of synthetic nanotechnology used primarily for delivery enhancement rather than a fundamental genetic engineering material.
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are emerging as a promising, non-nanotech route for delivering RNA and DNA. Cell-Penetrating Peptides (CPPs) are short amino acid sequences that can ferry genetic material across cellular membranes, while liposomes can be created using natural phospholipids found in cells. These methods aim to develop more natural, cell-compatible methods of gene delivery, addressing concerns about toxicity and biodegradability of synthetic nanomaterials.
Moreover, regulatory challenges in clinical translation are another reason some researchers are avoiding nanotechnology. As the field of genetic engineering continues to advance, the focus on biological substances promises to pave the way for safer, more accessible, and ethically grounded genetic interventions.
- The promising and safer route for gene therapy and synthetic biology, as the field of genetic engineering advances, is Increasingly relying on the engineering of DNA and RNA molecules themselves into functional nanostructures, such as DNA origami, which create programmable nanopores or delivery vehicles, without requiring synthetic nanomaterials.
- As regulatory challenges in clinical translation are another reason some researchers are avoiding nanotechnology, the focus on biological substances in genetic engineering promises to pave the way for safer, more accessible, and ethically grounded genetic interventions, through the use of extracellular vesicles and Cell-Penetrating Peptides, which are more natural, cell-compatible methods of gene delivery, addressing concerns about toxicity and biodegradability of synthetic nanomaterials.
