Enzyme-Instructed Self-assembly in Biological Milieu for Theranostics Purpose

Precision medicine is in an urgent need for public healthcare. Among the past several decades, the flourishing development in nanotechnology significantly advances the realization of precision nanomedicine. Comparing to well-documented nanoparticle-based strategy, in this review, we focus on the strategy using enzyme instructed self-assembly (EISA) in biological milieu for theranostics purpose. In principle, the design of small molecules for EISA requires two aspects: (1) the substrate of enzyme of interest; and (2) self-assembly potency after enzymatic conversion. This strategy has shown its irreplaceable advantages in nanomedicne, specifically for cancer treatments and Vaccine Adjuvants. Interestingly, all the reported examples rely on only one kind of enzyme-hydrolase. Therefore, we envision that the application of EISA strategy just begins and will lead to a new paradigm in nanomedicine.