Development of 2-aminoisobutyric acid (Aib)-rich cell-penetrating foldamers for efficient siRNA delivery

We have designed and synthesized a set of cell-penetrating foldamers (CPFs), Blocks 1–8, composed of the common amino acids Leu, Arg, and Gly, as well as the helicogenic amino acid 2-aminoisobutyric acid. The findings showed that Block 3 could deliver siRNA into cells without significant cytotoxicity. We also demonstrated that Block 3 could be applied to selectively kill the oncogene-driven cancer cells.