{
  "abstract": "SUMMARY: Aging reshapes CD8+ T cell immunity by depleting naive populations, narrowing repertoire diversity, and promoting dysfunctional states, thereby weakening responses to infection or vaccination. This study presents a polyethyleneimine (PEI)-functionalized silicon nanowire platform for high-viability, non-viral delivery of single or multiplexed microRNAs (miRNAs) into resting aged CD8+ T cells. Nanowires enable transient modulation of transcriptional programs governing T cell activation, metabolism, proliferation, and differentiation. Delivering a single miRNA influences early activation and differentiation stages, while multiplexed miRNA delivery leads to a broader boost in activation responses, effector functions, metabolic health, and cell proliferation. In vivo, ex vivo-treated aged CD8+ T cells exhibit enhanced early effector priming following antigen exposure. Similarly, in aged human CD8+ T cells, multiplexed miRNA enhances activation and cytotoxic responses and sustains an effector-primed state during early activation and expansion. This method consistently improves function across donors aged from healthy individuals to those with current or past cancer.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA",
    "Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA",
    "Winship Cancer Center, Emory School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 8,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Zhonghao Dai"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Shaylyn Grier"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Zhe Zhong"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Ameya Dravid"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Joscelyn Mejías"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Jean L. Koff"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Andrés J. García"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Ankur Singh"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0ntwd1kqm6axe.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1016/j.celbio.2026.100514",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13730167/?tool=EBI",
  "id": "0ntwd1kqm6axe",
  "issns": [
    "3050-5623"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13730167",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Article"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1312|RNA Interference and Gene Delivery"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7167238338",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13730167/pdf/?tool=EBI",
  "pmcid": "PMC13730167",
  "pmid": "42979563",
  "published": "2026-07-03",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0ntwd1kqm6axe.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-04T15:20:47Z",
      "native_id": "PMC:PMC13730167",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13730167"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-07T12:22:47Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13730167",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celbio.2026.100514"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biochemistry",
      "origin": "openalex:1312|RNA Interference and Gene Delivery",
      "subfield": "molecular-biology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "miRNA delivery via nanowires restores functional responses in aged T cells",
  "title_text": "miRNA delivery via nanowires restores functional responses in aged T cells",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-07T12:22:47Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0ntwd1kqm6axe",
  "venue": "Cell biomaterials",
  "versions": []
}