NANOTUBE-VESICLE COMPOSITIONS AND USES THEREOF
Disclosed herein is an engineered lipid-based vesicle optionally used for delivery of one or more payloads. The vesicle comprises a nanotube dimer or complex embedded with a lipid bilayer of the lipid-based vesicle. Also described herein are compositions, e.g., pharmaceutical compositions, and kits comprising the engineered lipid-based vesicle. In additional embodiments, further described herein are use of the engineered lipid-based vesicle for treating a disease or condition, for delivery to a target, or for labeling of a cell.
1 . An engineered liposome comprising a lipid bilayer and a nanotube dimer embedded in a circumference of the lipid bilayer, wherein the nanotube dimer comprises a first nanotube and a second nanotube, which is essentially parallel to the first nanotube.
2 . The engineered liposome of claim 1 , wherein the liposome has a diameter across the major axis of the liposome of at least about 28 nm.
3 . The engineered liposome of claim 1 , wherein the liposome has a diameter across the major axis of the liposome of at least about 300 nm.
4 . The engineered liposome of claim 1 , wherein each of the first nanotube and the second nanotube is a nanotube selected from the group consisting of a carbon nanotube, a boron nitride nanotube, a MoS 2 nanotube, a MoS 2 -carbon nanotube hybrid, and a carbon-MoS 2 -WS 2 nanotube hybrid.
5 . The engineered liposome of claim 1 , wherein each of the first nanotube and the second nanotube is a carbon nanotube.
6 . The engineered liposome of claim 1 , wherein each of the first nanotube and the second nanotube is a single wall carbon nanotube.
7 . The engineered liposome of claim 1 , wherein each of the first nanotube and the second nanotube has an outer diameter of from about 0.7 nm to about 2 nm.
8 . The engineered liposome of claim 1 , wherein each of the first nanotube and the second nanotube a length from about 6 nm to about 30 nm.
9 . The engineered liposome of claim 1 , wherein each of the first nanotube and the second nanotube comprises a terminal COOH group and wherein the dimer comprises a carbodiimide crosslinker linking the first nanotube to the second nanotubes through respective terminal COOH groups.
10 . The engineered liposome of claim 1 , wherein the dimer is formed by reacting a terminal alkyne group on the first nanotube with a terminal azide group of the second nanotube.
11 . The engineered liposome of claim 1 , wherein the engineered liposome further comprises a payload.
12 . The engineered liposome of claim 11 , wherein the payload is a drug.
13 . The engineered liposome of claim 11 , wherein the payload is a small molecule, a protein, a polypeptide, a nucleic acid molecule, a protein conjugate, polypeptide conjugate, a nucleic acid molecule conjugate, a polymer, a dye, or a gene-editing system.
14 . The engineered liposome of claim 11 , wherein the payload is an antitumor agent, an antimicrobial agent, a contrast agent, an antioxidant, or an anti-inflammatory agent.
15 . The engineered liposome of claim 11 , wherein the payload is doxorubicin.
16 . The engineered liposome of claim 1 , wherein the lipid bilayer comprises one or more phospholipids.
17 . The engineered liposome of claim 16 , wherein the lipid bilayer further comprises cholesterol.
18 . The engineered liposome of claim 1 , wherein the lipid bilayer comprises one or more PEG-lipids.
19 . The engineered liposome of claim 1 , wherein the engineered liposome is an engineered unilamellar liposome.
20 . The engineered liposome of claim 1 , wherein the nanotube dimer has an asymmetric cross section perpendicular to a length direction of the first nanotube and the second nanotube, so that the dimer has a wider hydrophobic facet and a narrower facet, each of the wider hydrophobic facet and the narrower facet extends along the length direction of the first nanotube and the second nanotube, and the wider facet has a larger dimension in the asymmetric cross section than the narrower facet.
21 . A plurality of engineered lipid-based vesicles, wherein each of the plurality of engineered lipid-based vesicles, wherein each engineered lipid-based vesicle of said plurality is the engineered liposome of claim 1 .
22 . A method of fusing lipid bilayers, the method comprising:
contacting (a) the engineered liposome of claim 1 and a second lipid bilayer, wherein:
said contacting results in fusing the lipid bilayer of the engineered liposome with the second lipid bilayer into a single lipid bilayer.