DNA-Based Hydrogel in Drug Delivery

DNA is perhaps the most important biopolymer that stores genetic information and is an integrated part of most living cells. Due to its high water solubility, H-bondings, and pi-pi stacking interactions, DNA offers enormous opportunities to fabricate new supramolecular architectures through self-assembly. DNA-based hydrogels are highly biocompatible cargos that could be engineered into novel delivery vehicles for small molecules, proteins/peptides, and nucleic acids. This chapter deliberates on the synthesis and formulations of DNA-based hydrogels, the fabrication of biomaterials through chemical modifications, and various mechanisms of delivery systems. The chapter also reviews the details of applications of DNA hydrogels and future scopes.