Nanoconjugates able to cross the blood-brain barrier

1. A method of treating a patient suffering from Glioblastoma multiforme, comprising administering to the patient a therapeutically effective amount of a composition comprising a functionalized nanoconjugate having a mass that is at least about 1 kilodalton, the nanoconjugate comprising a surface-attached polynucleotide having a sequence sufficiently complementary to a target polynucleotide to hybridize to and inhibit expression of the target polynucleotide, wherein the target polynucleotide is a Bcl-2 family member, and wherein the administration is not intracranial administration and the nanoconjugate does not comprise a targeting moiety.

2. A method of administering a composition comprising a functionalized nanoconjugate having a mass that is at least about 1 kilodalton to a patient, the method comprising administering to the patient a therapeutically effective amount of the composition;

wherein the nanoconjugate comprises a surface-attached polynucleotide having a sequence sufficiently complementary to a target polynucleotide to hybridize to and inhibit expression of the target polynucleotide, wherein the target polynucleotide is a Bcl-2 family member, wherein the administration is not intracranial administration and the nanoconjugate does not comprise a targeting moiety, and wherein the patient suffers from Glioblastoma multiforme and is in need of a composition that is able to traverse the blood-brain barrier.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the composition further comprises a therapeutic agent.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the composition is administered only once.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the composition is administered at a frequency of no greater than about once per week.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the patient is a human.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the Bcl-2 family member is Bcl2L12.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the nanoconjugate comprises a nanoparticle that is metallic.

9. The method of claim 2 wherein the nanoconjugate comprises a nanoparticle that is metallic.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the nanoparticle is a gold nanoparticle.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the nanoparticle is a gold nanoparticle.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the administering is transdermal administering.

13. The method of claim 2 wherein the administering is transdermal administering.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the polynucleotide is DNA or RNA.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the polynucleotide is small interfering RNA (siRNA).

16. The method of claim 2 wherein the polynucleotide is DNA or RNA.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the polynucleotide is small interfering RNA (siRNA).

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the nanoconjugate comprises a nanoparticle that is hollow.

19. The method of claim 2 wherein the nanoconjugate comprises a nanoparticle that is hollow.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the nanoconjugate comprises a nanoparticle that is from about 5 nanometers (nm) to about 150 nm in mean diameter.

21. The method of claim 2 wherein the nanoconjugate comprises a nanoparticle that is from about 5 nanometers (nm) to about 150 nm in mean diameter.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein the polynucleotide is covalently associated with the nanoconjugate.

23. The method of claim 2 wherein the polynucleotide is covalently associated with the nanoconjugate.

24. The method of claim 1 wherein the polynucleotide is present on the surface of the nanoconjugate at a surface density of at least 0.3 pmol/cm 2 .

25. The method of claim 2 wherein the polynucleotide is present on the surface of the nanoconjugate at a surface density of at least 0.3 pmol/cm 2 .

26. The method of claim 1 wherein the polynucleotide is present on the surface of the nanoconjugate at a surface density of at least 2 pmol/cm 2 .

27. The method of claim 2 wherein the polynucleotide is present on the surface of the nanoconjugate at a surface density of at least 2 pmol/cm 2 .

28. The method of claim 1 wherein the polynucleotide is present on the surface of the nanoconjugate at a surface density of about 15 pmol/cm 2 .

29. The method of claim 2 wherein the polynucleotide is present on the surface of the nanoconjugate at a surface density of about 15 pmol/cm 2 .

30. The method of claim 3 wherein the therapeutic agent is temozolamide, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), nerve growth factor (NGF), neurotrophin-4/5, a fibroblast growth factor (FGF), neurotrophin (NT)-3, erythropoietin (EPO), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), transforming growth factor (TGF)-α, TGF-β, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra), ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), glial-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), neurturin, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), heregulin, neuregulin, artemin, persephin, an interleukin, granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (CSF), granulocyte-macrophage-CSF, cardiotrophin-1, hedgehog, leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), midkine, pleiotrophin, a bone morphogenetic protein (BMP), netrin, saposin, semaphorin, or stem cell factor (SCF).

31. The method of claim 1 wherein the nanoconjugate has a mass that is about 2, about 3, about 5, about 10, about 20, about 30, about 40, about 50, about 60, about 70, about 80, about 90, about 100, about 200, about 500, about 700, about 900 or more kilodaltons.

32. The method of claim 2 wherein the nanoconjugate has a mass that is about 2, about 3, about 5, about 10, about 20, about 30, about 40, about 50, about 60, about 70, about 80, about 90, about 100, about 200, about 500, about 700, about 900 or more kilodaltons.

33. The method of claim 1 , further comprising administering a therapeutic agent to the patient.

34. The method of claim 1 wherein the nanoconjugate comprises a nanoparticle that is from about 30 nm to about 100 nm.

35. The method of claim 1 wherein the nanoconjugate comprises a nanoparticle that is from about 40 nm to about 80 nm in mean diameter.

36. The method of claim 2 wherein the nanoconjugate comprises a nanoparticle that is from about 30 nm to about 100 nm.

37. The method of claim 2 wherein the nanoconjugate comprises a nanoparticle that is from about 40 nm to about 80 nm in mean diameter.

38. The method of claim 2 wherein the Bcl-2 family member is Bcl2L12.