A team of researchers at the University of Mississippi has discovered that coating cancer treatment carrying nanoparticles in a sugar-like material increases their treatment efficacy. They reported their findings in Advanced Healthcare Materials.
Over a tenth of breast cancer diagnoses are for triple-negative breast cancer. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) gets its name because it lacks three common targets: estrogen, progesterone, and HER2. It disproportionately affects young women, especially African American women, making it an urgent priority for new treatment strategies.
Mississippi has higher-than-average rates of triple-negative breast cancer. According to a 2024 study from the University of Mississippi Medical Center, 37 % of breast cancer patients treated there between 2016 and 2023 were triple-negative, more than double the national norm.
The aggressive character of this cancer, along with its resistance to several common therapies, results in a greater fatality rate than other cancers.
While this cancer may not increase the levels of usual drug targets, the Ole Miss research team discovered a unique technique to deliver cancer therapies directly to cancer cells.
It doesn’t have any of the usual targets we’ve developed therapies for. That means we really had to think creatively about how to treat it. One thing that is consistent across all of the patients (with triple-negative breast cancer) is that they overexpress glucose transporters to bring more sugars to the cells. Essentially, it has a sweet tooth. So, how can we get it to take its medicine? We wrap it in sugar.
Eden Tanner, Assistant Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Mississippi
Tanner explained that by covering the nanoparticle cancer treatment with sugar, the researchers essentially “trick” the cancer into taking the drug.
When these sugar-coated cancer therapies are put into the bloodstream, they can “hitch a ride” on red and white blood cells. The drug goes through the body like a bus, eventually becoming stuck by the cancer’s glucose transporters.
Because triple-negative breast cancer cells overexpress GLUT-transporters, there is more of an affinity between the nanoparticles and those cells. This method could provide something that will change the way we treat this cancer in the future, and in a way that won’t affect our regular, healthy cells.
Ole Miss junior Mira Patel, co-author of the study.
Triple-negative breast cancer is not the only disease that overexpresses glucose transporters; so, the drug delivery strategy might be applied to treat other diseases.
We haven’t tested the technology on those other diseases yet, but there’s a good reason to believe that a similar strategy might work. That is exciting news for diseases like colon cancer, brain cancer, and fatty liver disease, which also have high levels of glucose transporters.
Eden Tanner, Assistant Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Mississippi
However, the researchers must evaluate the delivery mechanism under disease settings before it can be implemented. Their findings have the potential to save lives in Mississippi since triple-negative breast cancer is so common there.
Journal Reference:
Dasanayake, G. S. et al. (2025) Glyco Ionic Liquids as Novel Nanoparticle Coatings to Enhance Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Drug Delivery. Advanced Healthcare Materials. doi.org/10.1002/adhm.202500592
News
Gold Nanoclusters Could Supercharge Quantum Computers
Researchers found that gold “super atoms” can behave like the atoms in top-tier quantum systems—only far easier to scale. These tiny clusters can be customized at the molecular level, offering a powerful, tunable foundation [...]
A single shot of HPV vaccine may be enough to fight cervical cancer, study finds
WASHINGTON -- A single HPV vaccination appears just as effective as two doses at preventing the viral infection that causes cervical cancer, researchers reported Wednesday. HPV, or human papillomavirus, is very common and spread [...]
New technique overcomes technological barrier in 3D brain imaging
Scientists at the Swiss Light Source SLS have succeeded in mapping a piece of brain tissue in 3D at unprecedented resolution using X-rays, non-destructively. The breakthrough overcomes a long-standing technological barrier that had limited [...]
Scientists Uncover Hidden Blood Pattern in Long COVID
Researchers found persistent microclot and NET structures in Long COVID blood that may explain long-lasting symptoms. Researchers examining Long COVID have identified a structural connection between circulating microclots and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). The [...]
This Cellular Trick Helps Cancer Spread, but Could Also Stop It
Groups of normal cbiells can sense far into their surroundings, helping explain cancer cell migration. Understanding this ability could lead to new ways to limit tumor spread. The tale of the princess and the [...]
New mRNA therapy targets drug-resistant pneumonia
Bacteria that multiply on surfaces are a major headache in health care when they gain a foothold on, for example, implants or in catheters. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have found [...]
Current Heart Health Guidelines Are Failing To Catch a Deadly Genetic Killer
New research reveals that standard screening misses most people with a common inherited cholesterol disorder. A Mayo Clinic study reports that current genetic screening guidelines overlook most people who have familial hypercholesterolemia, an inherited disorder that [...]
Scientists Identify the Evolutionary “Purpose” of Consciousness
Summary: Researchers at Ruhr University Bochum explore why consciousness evolved and why different species developed it in distinct ways. By comparing humans with birds, they show that complex awareness may arise through different neural architectures yet [...]
Novel mRNA therapy curbs antibiotic-resistant infections in preclinical lung models
Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and collaborators have reported early success with a novel mRNA-based therapy designed to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The findings, published in Nature Biotechnology, show that in [...]
New skin-permeable polymer delivers insulin without needles
A breakthrough zwitterionic polymer slips through the skin’s toughest barriers, carrying insulin deep into tissue and normalizing blood sugar, offering patients a painless alternative to daily injections. A recent study published in the journal Nature examines [...]
Multifunctional Nanogels: A Breakthrough in Antibacterial Strategies
Antibiotic resistance is a growing concern - from human health to crop survival. A new study successfully uses nanogels to target and almost entirely inhibit the bacteria P. Aeruginosa. Recently published in Angewandte Chemie, the study [...]
Nanoflowers rejuvenate old and damaged human cells by replacing their mitochondria
Biomedical researchers at Texas A&M University may have discovered a way to stop or even reverse the decline of cellular energy production—a finding that could have revolutionary effects across medicine. Dr. Akhilesh K. Gaharwar [...]
The Stunning New Push to Protect the Invisible 99% of Life
Scientists worldwide have joined forces to build the first-ever roadmap for conserving Earth’s vast invisible majority—microbes. Their new IUCN Specialist Group reframes conservation by elevating microbial life to the same urgency as plants and [...]
Scientists Find a Way to Help the Brain Clear Alzheimer’s Plaques Naturally
Scientists have discovered that the brain may have a built-in way to fight Alzheimer’s. By activating a protein called Sox9, researchers were able to switch on star-shaped brain cells known as astrocytes and turn them into [...]
Vision can be rebooted in adults with amblyopia, study suggests
Temporarily anesthetizing the retina briefly reverts the activity of the visual system to that observed in early development and enables growth of responses to the amblyopic eye, new research shows. In the common vision [...]
Ultrasound-activated Nanoparticles Kill Liver Cancer and Activate Immune System
A new ultrasound-guided nanotherapy wipes out liver tumors while training the immune system to keep them from coming back. The study, published in Nano Today, introduces a biodegradable nanoparticle system that combines sonodynamic therapy and cell [...]
