CELL 250

Thorsten Neumann1,3, Surekha Gajria1,3, Wirasak Smitthipong1,2, Matthew Tirrell1,2 and Luc Jaeger1,3

1Materials Research Laboratory, 2College of Engineering, 3Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA

Please submit all queries by email to tirrell@engineering.ucsb.edu or jaeger@chem.ucsb.edu and by phone to (805) 893-3141 or (805) 893-5302.

Negatively charged nucleic acids strands (DNA & RNA) self-assemble with cationic lipids like DDAB to form water-insoluble complexes. These complexes form self-standing films if they are cast on solid surfaces. We are now focusing on developing the biocompatibility and biodegradability of these films as well as their mechanical properties for drug delivery. We want to use drugs that can intercalate into the RNA double strands. These drugs could be released by local RNAses degradation of the RNA scaffold within the body while the remaining film components can be easily degraded to monomer units. The concentration and time rate of local treatment can be varied by the composition of the material. Additionally these RNA-based materials can easily be generated and could be produced on a large scale. In our current study daunorubicin, a DNA intercalating drug, was used for our studies of drug delivery into breast cancer cells.