Making Nanomedicines More Precise
UD researchers study how protein coatings influence nanoparticles' ability to avoid immune clearance and reach their destinations.
Nanomedicine uses ultra-small particles to deliver drugs directly to the tissues and cells that need them, improving treatment effectiveness while reducing side effects.
This approach underpins some clinically approved RNA-based technologies and chemotherapy drugs. However, designing effective nanomedicines is challenging due to the body's immune system, which can mistake nanoparticles for harmful invaders and try to clear them.
A key player in this process is the protein corona, a layer of proteins that forms around nanoparticles when they enter the bloodstream and can influence how the immune system reacts to them.
The body’s immune system can mistake nanoparticles for harmful invaders and try to clear them, limiting their effectiveness and sometimes causing adverse effects.
Author summary: Researchers study protein coatings for precise nanomedicines.