DNA nanoparticles as ocular drug delivery platform

The field of DNA nanotechnology has progressed rapidly in recent years and now offers facile fabrication of a large variety of nanostructures of different shapes and geometries. In this thesis, short nucleic acid sequences are functionalized with hydrophobic units to form the basis of an ocular drug delivery platform. These DNA amphiphiles self-assemble into micellar nanoparticles (NPs) that exhibit a high affinity to the ocular surface. After selecting the best carrier, loading of the medication can easily be performed by employing drug specific aptamers that are hybridized on the NP. The developed platform shows a significantly prolonged availability of the drug compared to the free medication. In future applications, this allows for a lower dosing regime of the eye drop and a reduced drug concentration, which greatly improve the treatment of ophthalmic diseases.