Delivery of oligonucleotide-functionalized nanoparticles

1. A method of inhibiting gene expression comprising: administering a composition comprising a dermal vehicle and a spherical oligonucleotide-functionalized nanoparticle, wherein the spherical oligonucleotide-functionalized nanoparticle comprises two or more polynucleotides which are not identical, wherein the spherical oligonucleotide-functionalized nanoparticle has a net negative charge to human skin under conditions wherein the oligonucleotide-functionalized nanoparticle hybridizes to a target polynucleotide and inhibits gene expression, wherein the nanoparticle is from about 5 nanometers (nm) to about 50 nm in mean diameter, wherein gene expression is inhibited by about 10% or more, and wherein oligonucleotides are covalently associated with the nanoparticle at a surface density of at least 2 pmol/cm2.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the two or more polynucleotides each bind to different target polynucleotides, each target polynucleotide encoding a different gene product.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the two or more polynucleotides are covalently associated with the oligonucleotide-functionalized nanoparticle through a spacer.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the dermal vehicle comprises an ointment, cream, lotion, gel, foam, buffer solution, or water.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the polynucleotides are RNA.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the two or more polynucleotides each bind to different locations of a same single target polynucleotide.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the two or more polynucleotides have different lengths.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the two or more polynucleotides have different sequences.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the two or more polynucleotides have different lengths and different sequences.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein each polynucleotide is about 5 to about 40 nucleotides in length.