PubReading [164] - DNA Nanostructures for Targeted Antimicrobial Delivery - I. Mela, C. Kaminiski et al

<p>We report the use of <strong>DNA origami nanostructures</strong>, functionalized with aptamers, as a vehicle for delivering the antibacterial enzyme lysozyme in a specific and efficient manner. We test the system against Gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) targets. We use direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (dSTORM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) to characterize the DNA origami nanostructures and structured <strong>illumination microscopy</strong> (SIM) to assess the binding of the origami to the bacteria. We show that treatment with lysozyme-functionalized origami slows bacterial growth more effectively than treatment with free lysozyme. Our study introduces DNA origami as a tool in the fight against antibiotic resistance, and our results demonstrate the specificity and efficiency of the nanostructure as a <strong>drug delivery</strong> vehicle.</p><p><em>doi.org/10.1002/anie.202002740 - 2020</em></p>