Directing Recruitment and Differentiation of Endogenous Stem Cells via DNA Origami-based Nanorobots to Attenuate Osteoarthritis Progression

Abstract Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is characterized by progressive cartilage degradation, and endogenous mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) hold considerable promise for its treatment. Nevertheless, several core technical challenges remain to be urgently addressed: how to efficiently recruit endogenous MSCs to the site of damaged cartilage, how to direct the chondrogenic differentiation of the recruited MSCs, and how to preserve their stemness and proliferative capacity during inflammatory micro-environment. In this study, we aimed to achieve the direct recruitment and chondrogenic promotion of endogenous stem cells using DNA-based nanodevices, with the ultimate goal of facilitating cartilage repair.