DNA Origami as Novel Immune Adjuvants

Cytokines induced by inflammasome has been used for blood cancer treatments, yet these treatments have been less successful in the solid tumor microenvironment. Here precise-morphology DNA origami structures were implemented to accurately test the effect and mechanism of activation in the NLRP3 inflammasome. THP1 WT cells, a macrophage cell line, were treated with eleven different DNA origami structures. The inflammasome activation of two cytokines, Interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β) and Interferon beta (IFN-β), was measured using HEK Blue IL-1β cells, HEK Blue IFN-β cells, and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Differences in activation signaling have the potential to provide the characterization required to address the intrinsic complexity of modulating an immune response. It is hoped that DNA origami will help induce more inflammation for solid tumors. The DNA origami was tested in three different volumes: 1 μL, 5 μL, and 10 μL. Overall, the origami that showed promising results were Mg Square. Tetrahedral and P53 block also showed potential but not as well as Mg square. Further testing of more DNA origami structures and testing them in mice are key to the success of targeted cancer immunotherapies in the neoadjuvant setting.