Many gene therapies require intracellular delivery, and their efficacy can be highly influenced by the choice of the delivery vehicle. Due to their near-infrared fluorescence capabilities and large payload carrying capacity, carbon nanomaterials can be appropriate candidates for this role. Our work utilizes graphene quantum dots (GQDs) and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) as delivery vehicles for several CRISPR-Cas9-based formulations specifically designed to edit out genes related to immortalization and uncontrolled growth of cancer cells. Both of these nanomaterials exhibit visible and near-infrared fluorescence capabilities sufficient for in vitro and in vivo imaging, and, when bound to CRISPR-Cas9 system, are not only expected to transport the therapeutic, but also trace its delivery pathways. In order to warrant more efficient complexation with CRISPR-Cas9 system, GQDs are synthesized bottom-up from cationic polymers and characterized to exhibit stable fluorescence and high biocompatibility at ~1 mg/mL in vitro. Payload attachment is assessed microscopically and reflected by Zeta potential variation upon complexation. Both resulting nanomaterials-delivered formulations show successful target gene scission and intracellular tracking of the gene therapeutic via intrinsic nanomaterial fluorescence. The end goal of this work is to edit out and/or correct aberrant genes in cancer cells making them more susceptible to conventional treatment pathways, thus, ultimately helping improve cancer survival rates.
