One Scaffold, Many Targets: Fully Modified RNA Nanostructures for Multi-Gene Silencing Beyond the Liver
- 1UMass Chan Medical School - RNA Therapeutics Institute
Abstract
Therapeutic siRNAs are a major clinical modality for hepatic gene silencing, but efficient extrahepatic delivery and multi-gene modulation remain significant barriers. Nucleic acid nanotechnology offers programmable assembly, but conventional structures suffer from enzymatic instability in vivo . Here we report fully chemically modified RNA nanostructures (FMRNs)—a vehicle-free platform entirely composed of stabilized therapeutic nucleic acids that integrate structural precision with metabolic durability. Following systemic administration, FMRNs exhibit enhanced pharmacokinetics and extrahepatic accumulation, with in vivo behavior influenced greatly by hydrodynamic size rather than molecular weight. Using triangular and square geometries, we demonstrate programmable control over siRNA stoichiometry to achieve sustained, simultaneous silencing of up to four genes from a single entity. Nanostructure assembly alone drives productive delivery, especially to heart and muscle, matching lipophilic conjugation. Furthermore, cerebrospinal fluid administration reveals that larger FMRNs improve central nervous system distribution and retention revealing physicochemical parameters that impact brain exposure. FMRNs establish a modular and effective platform combining improved pharmacokinetics, extrahepatic delivery, and multi-gene silencing for complex diseases.
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BibTeX
@misc{fakih2026scaffold,
title = {{One Scaffold, Many Targets: Fully Modified RNA Nanostructures for Multi-Gene Silencing Beyond the Liver}},
author = {H. H. Fakih and A. Summers and Q. Tang and R. Gagnon and B. M. Bramato and R. Furgal and K. Y. Gross and J. H. Fakih and D. Echeverria and H. F. Sleiman and A. Khvorova},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.64898/2026.10.08.757482},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.08.757482v1},
note = {Public domain},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - One Scaffold, Many Targets: Fully Modified RNA Nanostructures for Multi-Gene Silencing Beyond the Liver
AU - H. H. Fakih
AU - A. Summers
AU - Q. Tang
AU - R. Gagnon
AU - B. M. Bramato
AU - R. Furgal
AU - K. Y. Gross
AU - J. H. Fakih
AU - D. Echeverria
AU - H. F. Sleiman
AU - A. Khvorova
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/08
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.10.08.757482
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.08.757482v1
AB - Therapeutic siRNAs are a major clinical modality for hepatic gene silencing, but efficient extrahepatic delivery and multi-gene modulation remain significant barriers. Nucleic acid nanotechnology offers programmable assembly, but conventional structures suffer from enzymatic instability in vivo . Here we report fully chemically modified RNA nanostructures (FMRNs)—a vehicle-free platform entirely composed of stabilized therapeutic nucleic acids that integrate structural precision with metabolic durability. Following systemic administration, FMRNs exhibit enhanced pharmacokinetics and extrahepatic accumulation, with in vivo behavior influenced greatly by hydrodynamic size rather than molecular weight. Using triangular and square geometries, we demonstrate programmable control over siRNA stoichiometry to achieve sustained, simultaneous silencing of up to four genes from a single entity. Nanostructure assembly alone drives productive delivery, especially to heart and muscle, matching lipophilic conjugation. Furthermore, cerebrospinal fluid administration reveals that larger FMRNs improve central nervous system distribution and retention revealing physicochemical parameters that impact brain exposure. FMRNs establish a modular and effective platform combining improved pharmacokinetics, extrahepatic delivery, and multi-gene silencing for complex diseases.
ER -