Single-cell encoded gene silencing for high-throughput combinatorial siRNA screening
The use of combinatorial siRNAs shows great promise for drug discovery, but the identification of safe and effective siRNA combinations remains challenging. Here, we develop a massively multiplexed technology for systematic screening of siRNA-based cocktail therapeutics. We employ composite micro-carriers that are responsive to near infrared light and magnetic field to achieve photoporation-facilitated siRNA transfection to individual cells. Thus, randomized gene silencing by different siRNA formulations can be performed with high-throughput single-cell-based analyses. For screening anti-cancer siRNA cocktails, we test more than 1300 siRNA combinations for knocking down multiple genes related to tumor growth, discovering effective 3-siRNA formulations with an emphasis on the critical role of inhibiting Cyclin D1 and survivin, along with their complementary targets for synergic efficacy. This approach enables orders of magnitude reduction in time and cost associated with largescale siRNA screening, and resolves key insights to siRNA pharmacology that are not permissive to existing methods.
Authors
- Xianglin Ji (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4294-1592)
- Zhenghua Liang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5741-4082)
- Linfeng Huang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0322-4929)
- Hailiang Sun (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3609-4729)
- Feng Guo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4447-4219)
- Feng Gao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0500-5527)
- Peng Shi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0629-4161)
- Chuxiao Xiong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4240-7266)
- Baowen Gai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-5934-4267)
- Zhongping Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1097-7731)
- B Kuang
- Richard Yan-Do
Institutions
- Department of Health (CN)
- Sun Yat-sen University (CN)
- City University of Hong Kong (HK)
- Shanxi University (CN)
- Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HK)
- Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HK)
- Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University (CN)
- City University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen Research Institute (CN)
- Duke Kunshan University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2024-11-19
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-53419-7
- Citations
- 5
- Primary Topic
- RNA Interference and Gene Delivery
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.17
Funders
- City University of Hong Kong
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Innovation and Technology Commission