In vivo endothelial siRNA delivery using polymeric nanoparticles with low molecular weight.

Dysfunctional endothelium contributes to more diseases than any other tissue in the body. Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) can help in the study and treatment of endothelial cells in vivo by durably silencing multiple genes simultaneously, but efficient siRNA delivery has so far remained challenging. Here, we show that polymeric nanoparticles made of low-molecular-weight polyamines and lipids can deliver siRNA to endothelial cells with high efficiency, thereby facilitating the simultaneous silencing of multiple endothelial genes in vivo. Unlike lipid or lipid-like nanoparticles, this formulation does not significantly reduce gene expression in hepatocytes or immune cells even at the dosage necessary for endothelial gene silencing. These nanoparticles mediate the most durable non-liver silencing reported so far and facilitate the delivery of siRNAs that modify endothelial function in mouse models of vascular permeability, emphysema, primary tumour growth and metastasis.

Remotely activated protein-producing nanoparticles.

The development of responsive nanomaterials, nanoscale systems that actively respond to stimuli, is one general goal of nanotechnology. Here we develop nanoparticles that can be controllably triggered to synthesize proteins. The nanoparticles consist of lipid vesicles filled with the cellular machinery responsible for transcription and translation, including amino acids, ribosomes, and DNA caged with a photolabile protecting group. These particles served as nanofactories capable of producing proteins including green fluorescent protein (GFP) and enzymatically active luciferase. In vitro and in vivo, protein synthesis was spatially and temporally controllable, and could be initiated by irradiating micrometer-scale regions on the time scale of milliseconds. The ability to control protein synthesis inside nanomaterials may enable new strategies to facilitate the study of orthogonal proteins in a confined environment and for remotely activated drug delivery.

Alkane-modified short polyethyleneimine for siRNA delivery.

RNA interference (RNAi) is a highly specific gene-silencing mechanism triggered by small interfering RNA (siRNA). Effective intracellular delivery requires the development of potent siRNA carriers. Here, we describe the synthesis and screening of a series of siRNA delivery materials. Short polyethyleneimine (PEI, Mw 600) was selected as a cationic backbone to which lipid tails were conjugated at various levels of saturation. In solution these polymer-lipid hybrids self-assemble to form nanoparticles capable of complexing siRNA. The complexes silence genes specifically and with low cytotoxicity. The efficiency of gene knockdown increased as the number of lipid tails conjugated to the PEI backbone increased. This is explained by reducing the binding affinity between the siRNA strands to the complex, thereby enabling siRNA release after cellular internalization. These results highlight the importance of complexation strength when designing siRNA delivery materials.

Combinatorial synthesis of chemically diverse core-shell nanoparticles for intracellular delivery.

Analogous to an assembly line, we employed a modular design for the high-throughput study of 1,536 structurally distinct nanoparticles with cationic cores and variable shells. This enabled elucidation of complexation, internalization, and delivery trends that could only be learned through evaluation of a large library. Using robotic automation, epoxide-functionalized block polymers were combinatorially cross-linked with a diverse library of amines, followed by measurement of molecular weight, diameter, RNA complexation, cellular internalization, and in vitro siRNA and pDNA delivery. Analysis revealed structure-function relationships and beneficial design guidelines, including a higher reactive block weight fraction, stoichiometric equivalence between epoxides and amines, and thin hydrophilic shells. Cross-linkers optimally possessed tertiary dimethylamine or piperazine groups and potential buffering capacity. Covalent cholesterol attachment allowed for transfection in vivo to liver hepatocytes in mice. The ability to tune the chemical nature of the core and shell may afford utility of these materials in additional applications.

Lipid-like materials for low-dose, in vivo gene silencing.

Significant effort has been applied to discover and develop vehicles which can guide small interfering RNAs (siRNA) through the many barriers guarding the interior of target cells. While studies have demonstrated the potential of gene silencing in vivo, improvements in delivery efficacy are required to fulfill the broadest potential of RNA interference therapeutics. Through the combinatorial synthesis and screening of a different class of materials, a formulation has been identified that enables siRNA-directed liver gene silencing in mice at doses below 0.01 mg/kg. This formulation was also shown to specifically inhibit expression of five hepatic genes simultaneously, after a single injection. The potential of this formulation was further validated in nonhuman primates, where high levels of knockdown of the clinically relevant gene transthyretin was observed at doses as low as 0.03 mg/kg. To our knowledge, this formulation facilitates gene silencing at orders-of-magnitude lower doses than required by any previously described siRNA liver delivery system.

Efficient phosphonium-mediated synthesis of 2-amino-1,3,4-oxadiazoles.

We present an efficient, room temperature procedure for the preparation of 2-amino-1,3,4-oxadiazoles. Oxadiazol-2-ones can be activated for SNAr substitution using phosphonium reagents (e.g., BOP). This approach provides convenient access to N,N-disubstituted 2-amino-1,3,4-oxadiazoles, which are difficult to prepare using existing synthetic strategies.

The scope and mechanism of phosphonium-mediated S(N)Ar reactions in heterocyclic amides and ureas.

An efficient "one-step" synthesis of cyclic amidines and guanidines has been developed. Treatment of cyclic amides and ureas with benzotriazol-1-yloxytris(dimethylamino)phosphonium hexafluorophosphate (BOP), base, and nitrogen nucleophiles leads to the formation of the corresponding cyclic amidines and guanidines, typically in good to excellent yields. This method has also been used to prepare heteroaryl ethers and thioethers using phenol and thiophenol nucleophiles. Time course NMR and HPLC-MS studies have facilitated explicit characterization of the proposed intermediates (the phosphonium salt and HOBt adduct); the data reveal a stepwise reaction pathway.

Maximizing the stereochemical diversity of spiro-ladder oligomers.

[reaction: see text] We introduce all stereoisomers of a bis-amino acid building block derived from trans-4-hydroxy-L-proline. This small library of monomers allows arbitrary stereochemical configuration at any chiral center within our spiro-ladder oligomers. Three tetramer oligomers containing several combinations of the monomers 1-4 were synthesized; we explored the effect of monomer sequence on scaffold conformation by NMR.

The synthesis of curved and linear structures from a minimal set of monomers.

[reaction: see text] Spiro-ladder oligomers of designed shape were assembled from a set of two enantiomeric bis-amino acid monomers. Two tetramers of differing monomer sequence were synthesized to study the effect of monomer stereochemistry upon macromolecular shape. Two-dimensional NMR experiments were used to determine the conformational preference of the monomers within the context of the oligomers. The results of this structural study were used to design two pentamers: one resembling a rod and another with a curved shape. The pentamers were end-labeled with naphthyl and dansyl groups. The design hypothesis was confirmed by measuring the efficiency of fluorescence resonance energy transfer between the naphthyl and dansyl fluorophore pair.

The synthesis of functionalized nanoscale molecular rods of defined length.

We report a synthetic approach to spiro-ladder oligomers of defined length and structure that form water-soluble molecular rods. We describe the synthesis of a chiral molecular building block 1 and its assembly on solid support to form flexible chains that were then rigidified by the parallel formation of several diketopiperazine rings. Two molecular rods approximately 15 and 25 A in length were synthesized containing three and five monomers, respectively. The molecular rods were easily functionalized on both ends and were shown to have high water solubility, making them compatible with biological buffers. These molecules may find use as scaffolds for the display of ligands in chemical-biology applications and as spacers and construction materials for nanoscience applications.