# A Nucleic Acid‐Based LYTAC Plus Platform to Simultaneously Mediate Disease‐Driven Protein Downregulation

## TL;DR

A new hydrogel platform combines gene silencing and protein degradation to treat diseases like age-related macular degeneration more effectively.

## Contribution

A LYTAC Plus hydrogel is developed with dual gene silencing and protein degradation capabilities using nucleic acid self-assembly.

## Key findings

- The LYTAC Plus hydrogel effectively reduces VEGFR-2 and ANG-2 levels in vitro and in vivo.
- The hydrogel improves therapeutic outcomes in a mouse model of neovascular age-related macular degeneration.
- The platform shows potential as a versatile treatment for various diseases.

## Abstract

Protein degradation techniques, such as proteolysis‐targeting chimeras (PROTACs) and lysosome‐targeting chimeras (LYTACs), have emerged as promising therapeutic strategies for the treatment of diseases. However, the efficacy of current protein degradation methods still needs to be improved to address the complex mechanisms underlying diseases. Herein, a LYTAC Plus hydrogel engineered is proposed by nucleic acid self‐assembly, which integrates a gene silencing motif into a LYTAC construct to enhance its therapeutic potential. As a proof‐of‐concept study, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR)‐binding peptides and mannose‐6 phosphate (M6P) moieties into a self‐assembled nucleic acid hydrogel are introduced, enabling its LYTAC capability. Small interference RNAs (siRNAs) is then employed that target the angiopoietin‐2 (ANG‐2) gene as cross‐linkers for hydrogel formation, giving the final LYTAC Plus hydrogel gene silencing ability. With dual functionalities, the LYTAC Plus hydrogel demonstrated effectiveness in simultaneously reducing the levels of VEGFR‐2 and ANG‐2 both in vitro and in vivo, as well as in improving therapeutic outcomes in treating neovascular age‐related macular degeneration in a mouse model. As a general material platform, the LYTAC Plus hydrogel may possess great potential for the treatment of various diseases and warrant further investigation.

A LYTAC Plus hydrogel that combines gene silencing and protein degradation capabilities is engineered through nucleic acid self‐assembly. By simultaneously downregulating the VEGFR‐2 and ANG‐2 levels, LYTAC Plus hydrogel designed for alleviating neovascular age‐related macular degeneration (n‐AMD) shows a better therapeutic efficacy compared to the conventional approach in the mouse model, indicating its potential as a versatile platform for disease treatments.