Engineering Sesquicentennial Distinguished Lecturer and Tetelman Fellow Lecture:

"Synthetic Gene Delivery Systems"
by
 
Mark E. Davis
Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA

Traditionally, small molecule drugs have been derived from natural products (plants, microbes, and marine organisms). With the explosion of genetic information, the creation of nucleic-acid-based therapeutics is now advancing at a rapid pace. These so-called gene therapies translate knowledge acquired on the genetic bases of diseases into treatments for humans. Unlike small molecule drugs that can passively move into and throughout cells, macromolecular therapeutics must actively be transported. With nucleic-acid-based drugs, the active transport involves penetration into the cell and movement to the nucleus. These demands take drug delivery to new heights by now requiring not only control of the level and location of the drug within the body, but also intracellular trafficking to a specified sub-cellular locality (nucleus). Efforts to design and prepare new synthetic materials for gene delivery are increasing, and an example highlighting the use of intelligent materials will be presented.