Optimizing Polymeric Nanoparticle Core Designs for Gene Delivery

Polymeric nanoparticles offer extraordinary promise as gene delivery vehicles, and recent advances in their designs have allowed for targeted deliveries with multi-stage releases of payloads. Despite these advances, delivery efficiency can still be improved. Namely, the core of a multilayered particle may be designed in such a way as to facilitate unloading once within the cell, with minimized electrostatic binding and waste of genes following endocytotic burst. Through creating a core particle that is semi-stable, further layers may functionally stabilize the polymeric complex until intracellular delivery is achieved, at which point the semi-stable configuration may promote payload release.