This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Cells naturally send tiny packages to one another to share information. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have developed a simple, low-cost way to turn those packages into drug carriers that can deliver treatments directly to cancer cells, potentially improving effectiveness while reducing side effects.
"Modern anticancer drugs are strong already. What we really need is precision. So, how do we deliver things to cells precisely?
I believe that the best solution is the one that nature has already made for us," said Christopher Blum, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Chemistry. Blum developed a new platform that modifies naturally occurring cellular transport vesicles so they can deliver therapeutic cargo to specific cells while avoiding unintended targets. The research is published in ACS Applied Bio Materials.
Many cells produce tiny bubble-like structures called extracellular vesicles (EVs) that carry proteins, nucleic acids and other molecules throughout the body. Because EVs are the body's natural cargo carriers, researchers see them as promising vehicles for delivering drugs to treat cancer, neurological disorders, cardiovascular disease and other conditions. Despite their potential, engineering EVs for drug delivery has been challenging.
EVs can be absorbed by many different cell types, causing them to accumulate in nontarget tissues. This limits their effectiveness as targeted therapies. At the same time, modifying EVs for targeted delivery is often expensive and technically complex.
The Carnegie Mellon team's new platform, called EZON (Easy OligoNucleotide) EV modification, addresses both problems at once. The system helps prevent EVs from binding to the wrong cells while guiding them to specific targets. "EZON represents an advance in nanoscale surface engineering, and it has direct therapeutic relevance and broad applicability across EV sources and cargo types," said Subha Das, associate professor of chemistry in the Mellon College of Science.
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