Methods For Improving The Cellular Uptake Of Dna Origami...

†¢ Summary o The authors of this paper indicate an apparently novel method for improving the cellular uptake of DNA origami-based drug delivery nanocarriers. While the transport protein, transferrin (Tf), has been used to functionalize other types of drug delivery nanocarriers, it had yet to be incorporated into nanocarriers made via DNA origami prior to this publication. The authors demonstrate successful functionalization of Tf to a specific morphology of DNA origami using gel-shift analysis and atomic force microscopy; cellular uptake of the DNA nanocarriers was measured using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The authors subsequently conclude a direct correlation between the†¦show more content†¦The seemingly small number of citations is only potentially problematic when considering the amount of research central to each term; it is difficult to believe that only a single source can accurately depict the ent irety of DNA-based computation, pH-sensors, molecular pegboards, or protein encapsulation. Additional sources may help demonstrate the potential importance and relevance of DNA-based nanostructures. o That being said, the number of citations referenced specifically when describing transferrin increases notably, which is important since transferrin is central to the paper while the terms mentioned in the previous bullet point are less immediately relevant. o Overall, the quality of citations appears to be sufficiently high, as does the quantity. This holds true especially when motivating the use of DNA and transferrin as constituent parts of a novel drug delivery platform. †¢ Novelty – The authors of this paper appear to demonstrate a novel functionalization for DNA origami-based drug delivery nanocarriers: transferrin. It is noted, however, that transferrin has been used as a targeting ligand in other forms of nanocarriers. Perhaps this detail should be more clearly stated to clarify that neither transferrin nor DNA origami are novel concepts, but rather their successful combination