A Biomolecular Ship-in-a-Bottle: Continuous RNA Synthesis Within Hollow Polymer Hydrogel Assemblies

The use of micrometer-sized, monodisperse polymer hydrogel capsules that act as both microreactors and drug carriers for de novo synthesized RNA is demonstrated (see figure). These capsules are expected to have broad impact as biophysical tools for the study of encapsulated RNA and as new biocompatible delivery vehicles for the cellular delivery of RNA therapeutics.