Functional nucleic acid-based liposome engineering strategies for bioanalytical applications

As for resembling biological membranes structures, liposomes have emerged as safe, biocompatible and biodegradable vehicles for understanding, sensing and manipulating fundamental biological processes using natural or synthetic lipids. Engineering with other functional elements makes a versatile liposome. In contrast, functional nucleic acid (FNA) can interface with liposomes to direct their assembly, disassembly and vesicle fusion in a programmable manner. Because of the above merits, engineering of liposome using FNA has provided an attractive strategy to study and manipulate liposome behaviours and functionalities for the development and biological application of liposome. This review summarizes the latest advances in functional nucleic acid-based liposome engineering. The strategies for anchoring FNA to liposomes are first comprehensively elucidated. Then, the applications of FNA-based liposome engineering in cellular behavior mimicry, bioanalysis, drug delivery, and disease treatment are reviewed. Finally, the current challenges and the prospects for future development of FNA-engineered liposomes are discussed in the field.