Progress of Framework Nucleic Acids in Tumor Diagnosis and Therapy
Mengting Liu, Tiantian Wu, Qifeng Zhang, Huiyong ZhuIntroduction:
Framework Nucleic Acids (FNAs) are precisely self-assembled two- or three-dimensional nucleic acid architectures renowned for their excellent program-mability, monodisperse structures, and near-atomic precision. These distinctive properties enable FNAs to function as versatile nanocarriers for targeted biomarker recognition, effi-cient co-delivery of therapeutics and imaging agents, and stimuli-responsive release within the tumor microenvironment, driving rapid advances in framework nucleic acid-based nano-materials for tumor theranostics in recent years.
Methods:
We extensively searched bibliographic databases using keywords such as “frame-work nucleic acids”, “FNA”, “DNA nanostructures,” and “tumor theranostics”. Based on the literature retrieved, we summarized the design and functionalization strategies of FNA-based nanomaterials, reviewed their applications in various tumor therapeutic modalities, and dis-cussed the major challenges for clinical translation.
Results:
FNAs exhibited excellent application prospects across diverse tumor therapeutic modalities. They markedly enhanced targeted drug delivery and therapeutic efficacy in chem-otherapy, enabled efficient gene silencing in gene therapy, strengthened antitumor immune responses in immunotherapy, and significantly improved precision in tumor imaging and phototherapy. Collectively, these advantages position FNAs as a highly promising and ver-satile platform for precision tumor theranostics.
Discussion:
We have further provided a comprehensive discussion of the multifaceted chal-lenges that continue to impede the clinical translation of Framework Nucleic Acid (FNA)-based nanomaterials despite their considerable preclinical promise in tumor theranostics, as well as an in-depth outlook on their future potential in this evolving field.
Conclusion:
This review summarizes the remarkable potential of Framework Nucleic Acids (FNAs) as an intelligent nanoplatform for tumor diagnosis and therapy. Nevertheless, several critical challenges persist for clinical translation, including long-term biosafety, scalable manufacturing, and efficient in vivo delivery. Future efforts to address these barriers are ex-pected to accelerate the clinical implementation of FNAs in precision oncology.