POS8-1478
Construction of Hydrogels Incorporating Polymerized DNA Nanostructures
Topic
S8. Frontiers of Functional Polymers in Biology and Medicine
When and Where
Sep 30, 2026
08:30 - 09:30
Room 301 (Grand Ballroom)
Session Chairs
Heesuk KIM
Jinhye BAE
Presenter(s)
Heeyeon Kim (Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Republic of Korea)
Co-Author(s)
Abstract
Hydrogels are widely used as three-dimensional culture matrices for their high water content and resemblance to the extracellular matrix. However, conventional hydrogels remain largely bioinert and provide limited cues to guide cell behavior. Aptamer-based DNA nanostructures offer a promising strategy because aptamers bind specific cell-surface receptors and modulate cell behavior through downstream signaling. In this study, novel cell-instructive hydrogels were developed by incorporating polymerized aptamer nanostructures (pANs) generated via rolling circle amplification (RCA) to promote cell attachment.
Aptamer sequences were encoded into circular templates and amplified into repetitive strands of about 5.8 MDa. Chelation removed magnesium pyrophosphate byproducts, and circular dichroism confirmed that helical aptamer structures were preserved. When entangled within photocrosslinked methacrylated hydrogels, pANs reached encapsulation efficiencies above 80%, compared with under 40% for monomeric counterparts, and were uniformly distributed throughout the gel. Sol-gel transition times and pore sizes were comparable to unmodified gels, indicating that polymerization enhanced loading without disrupting network formation.
Polymerization also improved physiological stability. Serum half-life increased from about 1.6 h to 36 h, and about 85% of pANs survived 8 h of DNase exposure. In biological evaluations, aptamer-functionalized hydrogels increased cell attachment 3.5-fold over unmodified, monomeric, and nonspecific controls. Across 0.3–2.0 mM, attachment responded non-linearly to aptamer density and peaked near 1 mM before declining at higher loadings, suggesting that the aptamers may retain sequence-specific activity within the matrix.
In conclusion, pANs were stably integrated into hydrogels while preserving crosslinking behavior and physicochemical properties, offering a practical strategy for bioactive hydrogels in 3D culture and tissue engineering.
Aptamer sequences were encoded into circular templates and amplified into repetitive strands of about 5.8 MDa. Chelation removed magnesium pyrophosphate byproducts, and circular dichroism confirmed that helical aptamer structures were preserved. When entangled within photocrosslinked methacrylated hydrogels, pANs reached encapsulation efficiencies above 80%, compared with under 40% for monomeric counterparts, and were uniformly distributed throughout the gel. Sol-gel transition times and pore sizes were comparable to unmodified gels, indicating that polymerization enhanced loading without disrupting network formation.
Polymerization also improved physiological stability. Serum half-life increased from about 1.6 h to 36 h, and about 85% of pANs survived 8 h of DNase exposure. In biological evaluations, aptamer-functionalized hydrogels increased cell attachment 3.5-fold over unmodified, monomeric, and nonspecific controls. Across 0.3–2.0 mM, attachment responded non-linearly to aptamer density and peaked near 1 mM before declining at higher loadings, suggesting that the aptamers may retain sequence-specific activity within the matrix.
In conclusion, pANs were stably integrated into hydrogels while preserving crosslinking behavior and physicochemical properties, offering a practical strategy for bioactive hydrogels in 3D culture and tissue engineering.
