The present technology relates to a nanoparticle platform based on the unique and varied properties of DNA. Circular DNA can be replicated using a strand displacing polymerase to generate long linear concatamers of controllable length that spontaneously fold into a ball conformation due to internal base-pairing. These balls of DNA are discreet particles that can be made in variable sizes on a nanometer size scale in a scalable manner. The particles can be used in a variety of manners, discussed herein, including specific targeting, drug delivery to cancer cells, and diagnostics. Nanoparticles may also serve as multifunctional platforms for the integration of many currently used cancer therapeutic techniques.
