Recent Advances in Smart Biomaterials for the Detection and Treatment of Autoimmune Diseases

Autoimmune diseases are a group of debilitating illnesses that are often idiopathic in nature. The steady rise in the prevalence of these conditions warrants new approaches for diagnosis and treatment. Stimuli‐responsive biomaterials also known as “smart,” “intelligent,” or “recognitive” biomaterials are widely studied for their applications in drug delivery, biosensing, and tissue engineering due to their ability to produce thermal, optical, chemical, or structural changes upon interacting with the biological environment. Studies within the last decade that harness the recognitive capabilities of these biomaterials toward the development of novel detection and treatment options for autoimmune diseases are critically analyzed.     

siRNA delivery from cationic nanocarriers prepared by diffusion-assisted loading in the presence and absence of electrostatic interactions

In this study, we use modified cationic nanocarriers as vehicles for the intracellular delivery of therapeutic siRNA. After developing nanocarrier formulations with appropriate pK_a, size, swellability, and cytocompatibility, we investigated the importance of siRNA loading methods by studying the impact of the pH and time over which siRNA is loaded into the nanocarriers. We concentrate on diffusion-based loading in the presence and absence of electrostatic interactions. siRNA release kinetics were studied using samples prepared from nanocarriers loaded by both mechanisms. In addition, siRNA delivery was evaluated for two formulations. While previous studies were conducted with samples prepared by siRNA loading at low pH values, this research provides evidence that loading conditions of siRNA affect the release behavior. This study concludes that this concept could prove advantageous for eliciting prolonged intracellular release of nucleic acids and negatively charged molecules, effectively decreasing dose frequency and contributing to more effective therapies and improved patient outcomes. In addition, our findings could be leveraged for enhanced control over siRNA release kinetics, providing novel methods for the continued optimization of cationic nanoparticles in a wide array of RNA interference-based applications.