In this letter, we report the competing growth of a Pd shell on the {110} and {100} facets of Au nanorods (Au NRs). This results in the disappearance of unstable {110} facets and the formation of rectangularly shaped Pd/Au bimetallic nanorods that show only four stable {100} side surfaces. The energy minimization to a more stable morphology is believed to be the driving force for the formation of the rectangular shape of the Pd shell.

Based on their structural similarity to natural nucleobases, nucleoside analogue therapeutics were integrated into DNA strands through conventional solid‐phase synthesis. By elaborately designing their sequences, floxuridine‐integrated DNA strands were synthesized and self‐assembled into well‐defined DNA polyhedra with definite drug‐loading ratios as well as tunable size and morphology. As a novel drug delivery system, these drug‐containing DNA polyhedra could ideally mimic the Trojan Horse to deliver chemotherapeutics into tumor cells and fight against cancer. Both in vitro and in vivo results demonstrate that the DNA Trojan horse with buckyball architecture exhibits superior anticancer capability over the free drug and other formulations. With precise control over the drug‐loading ratio and structure of the nanocarriers, the DNA Trojan horse may play an important role in anticancer treatment and exhibit great potential in translational nanomedicine.

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Tumor-targeted drug delivery with simultaneous cancer imaging is highly desirable for personalized medicine. Herein, we report a supramolecular approach to design a promising class of multifunctional nanoparticles based on molecular recognition of nucleobases, which combine excellent tumor-targeting capability via aptamer, controlled drug release, and efficient fluorescent imaging for cancer-specific therapy. First, an amphiphilic prodrug dioleoyl clofarabine was self-assembled into micellar nanoparticles with hydrophilic nucleoside analogue clofarabine on their surface. Thereafter, two types of single-stranded DNAs that contain the aptamer motif and fluorescent probe Cy5.5, respectively, were introduced onto the surface of the nanoparticles via molecular recognition between the clofarabine and the thymine on DNA. These drug-containing multifunctional nanoparticles exhibit good capabilities of targeted clofarabine delivery to the tumor site and intracellular controlled drug release, leading to a robust and effective antitumor effect in vivo.