3G: Novel Biomaterial Developments in Non-Viral Drug Delivery Systems

Nucleic acid-based therapies or genetic medicines have the potential to treat a wide variety of conditions. Heavy reliance on viral methods, however, can hamper clinical translation and widespread use of such therapies. Non-viral approaches are required to avoid the risk of adverse immune reactions, enable redosing, and make nucleic acid-based therapies more affordable. This session will focus on showcasing biomaterials-based approaches to non-viral nucleic acid-based therapies. We encourage contributions spanning a wide range of biomaterials research applications, including the development of novel carrier systems (e.g., polymer- and lipid-based nanocarriers, engineered extracellular vesicles, physical methods, etc.), methods of deployment (e.g., controlled release, novel routes of administration, etc.), and therapeutic cargo (e.g., novel nucleic acid designs, aptamers, etc.), among others.