Biology subjects

Boisen, A.

Publications and source records attributed to Boisen, A..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Mechanical Flexibility Enables DNA Origami to Overcome Steric Confinement in Mucus

Size exclusion within biological hydrogels imposes a fundamental constraint on the design of nanocarriers, limiting the transport of cargo-loaded and structurally complex materials through mucus barriers. While surface passivation strategies are commonly used to improve compatibility, they do not address steric limitations imposed by the polymer network. Here, we introduce mechanical flexibility as an independent materials design parameter to expand the functional transport window of nanocarriers in mucus. Using programmable DNA origami to decouple flexibility from size and surface chemistry, we show that increased structural compliance enhances transport under steric confinement by facilitating passage through confined network pores. When surface-driven aggregation dominates, passivation is required to restore transport, after which flexibility provides additional gains. Together, these results establish mechanical flexibility as a general materials design strategy for improving transport under size-constrained conditions, with implications for nanocarrier engineering across biological barriers.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2025

Enzyme-powered DNA origami nanostructures for enhanced mucosal diffusion

Crossing mucosal barriers is a central challenge for oral drug delivery, where nanoparticle design must balance stability with mobility in complex fluids. Here, we demonstrate DNA origami as a programmable platform to investigate these processes. Using FRET analysis, we show that DNA nanostructures retain their structural integrity for extended periods in porcine intestinal fluid and mucus, establishing their suitability for biologically relevant environments. Building on this, we used single-particle tracking to assess enzyme-powered propulsion within mucus. Both urease and catalase enhanced diffusion only when anchored to the DNA origami structure, with propulsion persisting for tens of minutes. Importantly, enzyme spatial organization dictated performance: symmetric urease placement improved mobility via uniform local pH shifts, while asymmetric catalase placement enabled efficient bubble-driven propulsion. These results highlight DNA origami as a uniquely versatile tool to dissect structure-function relationships in mucus transport and provide design principles for next-generation, enzyme-powered oral delivery systems.

bioengineering↗

bioRxiv2025

Topology Determines DNA Origami Diffusion in Intestinal Mucus

Efficient nanomedicine delivery across mucosal barriers remains a challenge, due to the complex and poorly understood relationship between nanoparticle design and mucus transport. Here, we present DNA origami as a platform to investigate how nanoparticle shape and ligand patterning influence diffusivity in mucus. By decoupling these parameters while maintaining identical material composition, we systematically evaluated the diffusion of rod, icosahedral, and rectangular nanostructures using high-resolution single-particle tracking. Our results reveal that diffusivity in mucus is not solely determined by shape or functionalization alone, but by their interplay: while unmodified rods diffused poorly, their mobility increased significantly upon antibody functionalization, reaching a maximum at an intermediate ligand density. In contrast, rods and icosahedra exhibited less pronounced and non-optimal responses to surface modification. These findings highlight the importance of topology-specific optimization in nanoparticle design and demonstrate the utility of DNA nanotechnology to uncover design rules for next generation mucus-penetrating drug delivery systems.

bioengineering↗