Phage mimetic self-assemblies deliver nucleic acids to the brain

The brain is a privileged organ heavily protected by a complex cellular barrier termed the blood–brain barrier (BBB), which selectively excludes most blood-borne substances from entering the brain. The BBB accounts for the failure of a large number of promising neurotherapeutics, including nucleic acid medicines such as RNA interference (siRNA). In the past decade, we have witnessed vested efforts in finding viable strategies for drug delivery to the brain through minimally invasive routes of administration and without compromising the integrity of the BBB. To this end, our own efforts have recently introduced phage mimetics as new types of ’simple-by-design’ and...