Rutgers–Newark scientists use RNA nanotechnology to program living cells for cancer research
NEW JERSEY — Scientists at Rutgers University–Newark have developed a new form of RNA-based nanotechnology that assembles itself inside living human cells and can be programmed to halt the spread of harmful cells, a breakthrough that researchers say could open new paths for cancer treatment.
The research, recently accepted for publication in Nature Communications, describes a first-of-its-kind technology tested in human cell cultures. While researchers are now studying its effects on human cancer cells, those results have not yet been completed or published.
The work was led by Professor Fei Zhang of the Rutgers–Newark Department of Chemistry and Professor Jean-Pierre Etchegaray of the Department of Biological Sciences, along with an interdisciplinary research team.
“We are providing the method, a new design strategy for artificial RNA structures with programmable functions,” Zhang said.
The technology takes advantage of the way cells operate using genetic instructions. DNA stores the information, while RNA acts as a messenger that tells cells which proteins to produce. Instead of delivering preassembled molecules into cells, the Rutgers–Newark team designed a synthetic DNA template that allows RNA structures to be generated and assembled inside the cell itself.
What distinguishes the approach, researchers said, is that the RNA is engineered to fold into precise shapes and organize itself in specific locations within the cell. These assembled structures carry functional elements that can be reprogrammed for different biomedical uses.
The RNA components behave like small building blocks that automatically find one another and assemble into working structures, according to the researchers. The designs can also be modified into different shapes with new functions, expanding their potential applications.
That flexibility is especially important in cancer research, Etchegaray said, because cancer is driven by multiple malfunctioning genes acting together. The technology is designed to recognize disease-specific signals, allowing it to target cancer cells while minimizing effects on healthy tissue.
“We are trying right now to use this technology to target oncogenes and see if we can disable cancer stem cells, which are considered cancer initiating and propagating cells with therapeutic resistance,’’ Etchegaray said. “They will no longer be able to promote tumor growth, metastasis and even relapse,’’ he said.
Unlike most existing RNA-based therapies that focus on a single molecular target, the new platform can be programmed to interact with multiple targets at once, offering what researchers described as unprecedented potential for biomedical and biotechnological applications.
The technology may also enhance existing RNA therapies. “We can integrate fragments and functional sequences from the traditional RNA therapeutics into our platforms,” Zhang said.
The researchers have secured an approved provisional patent and are seeking investors, industry collaborators and research partners to accelerate development and move toward clinical trials.
“If we can have more people on board and attract different interest from partners, that will make this going forward faster,” Zhang said.
Beyond cancer, the researchers said the technology could be customized to address other diseases caused by abnormal gene and protein expression.
“Apart from cancer, we can customize this nanotechnology to target other diseases driven by misexpression of genes and proteins,” Etchegaray said.
