When nanoparticles are used for drug delivery, they often end up in the liver or spleen instead of the intended target.
A team led by Jacob S. Brenner and Vladimir Muzykantov of the University of Pennsylvania now shows that nanocarrier delivery can be improved by the having the nanocarriers “hitchhike” on red blood cells (Nat. Commun. 2018, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05079-7). The researchers withdrew red blood cells from mice and incubated them with nanoparticles, which adsorbed on the cell surface.
They then injected the cells back into the animals through arterial catheters. When injected this way, the nanocarriers accumulate in the first organ they encounter downstream from the injection site. The researchers think the narrow capillaries cause the nanoparticles to detach from the blood cells and transfer to the cells lining the capillaries.
Image Credit: Nat. Commun
News This Week
Scientists Discover Way To Treat Lung Cancer and Its Deadly Side Effect Together
A new approach using lipid nanoparticles to deliver genetic material is showing promise in tackling two major challenges in lung cancer at once.Researchers at Oregon State University have designed a new way to tackle two of [...]
Saunas Activate Your Immune System
A brief sauna session may quietly mobilize the immune system. A sauna session may do more than raise your heart rate and body temperature. A new study from Finland found that it also briefly [...]
Why music from your youth still has such an intense effect years later: A psychological perspective
You're driving, and suddenly a familiar song fills the air. Before you even know it, a wave of emotions comes over you – not just memories, but a deep, almost physical feeling. This powerful [...]
AI to antibody in days: breaking the wet lab bottleneck via high-throughput integration
The role of artificial intelligence (AI) in drug design has fundamentally shifted from a speculative tool to a central pillar of pharmaceutical research and development (R&D). Sino Biological plays a critical role in this [...]
Regenerative Healthcare by Design: Engineering Health-Centric Buildings and Urban Ecosystems
Introduction The next evolution of healthcare will not be confined to hospitals, clinics, or episodic interventions—it will be embedded into the infrastructure of everyday life. Regenerative health ecosystems require a systemic re-architecture of how [...]
Scientists Warn: Humanity Has Pushed the Planet Past Its Limits
Human population and consumption have surpassed Earth’s limits, increasing risks to climate and global stability. The Earth is already operating beyond its capacity to sustainably support the global population, according to new research highlighting [...]
Breakthrough Study Reveals Why Damaged Nerves Struggle To Heal
A newly identified molecular mechanism reveals how neurons weigh survival against repair after injury. Scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have identified a molecular switch in neurons that limits the regrowth of [...]
Popular Vitamin B3 Supplements May Help Cancer Cells Survive, Scientists Warn
A new study raises important questions about widely used NAD+ supplements, suggesting that compounds often taken to boost energy and support healthy aging may have unintended consequences in cancer treatment. Millions of Americans take [...]
Leave A Comment