In parallel, the specificity of base-pairing interactions makes these molecules promising tools in the biomedical field as well. In particular, nucleic acids can function as biotechnological drugs that selectively modulate the activity of specific biological targets, such as proteins or other nucleic acids, and can be used as diagnostic probes and theranostic agents. Within this context, synthetic DNA analogues, such as peptide nucleic acids (PNA), hold particular interest due to their high chemical stability and strong hybridization affinity, which enable the selective recognition of nucleotide sequences associated with various pathologies, including cardiovascular diseases.
From Molecular Scaffolds to Biotechnological Drugs: The Role of Oligonucleotides and Oligonucleotide Analogues in Nanotechnologies and Medicine
Lunedì 23 marzo 2026 - Ore 11:00 - Aula 22
Prof.ssa Giorgia Oliviero - Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare e Biotecnologie Mediche, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II
Seminario
Nucleic acids represent the pillars of molecular biology, not only due to their role in the storage and transmission of genetic information. Their ability to adopt secondary structures characterized by non-canonical geometries endows these biomolecules with self-organization and molecular recognition properties of great chemical interest. Such features have enabled the use of nucleic acids as programmable molecular scaffolds for the design of biomaterials and supramolecular nanostructures, with potential applications in the development of nanodevices and molecular-scale functional components.