Phys.org October 30, 2023
Despite their inherent versatility and ability to enable complex biological applications, there is considerable interest in augmenting the performance of membrane-coated nanoparticles (CNP) through the introduction of additional functionalities. Researchers at UC San Diego developed and demonstrated a genetic-engineering-based modular approach to CNP functionalization. The cell membrane coating was engineered to express a SpyCatcher membrane anchor that could readily form a covalent bond with any moiety modified with SpyTag. They generated three unique targeted CNP formulations using different classes of targeting ligands, including a designed ankyrin repeat protein. In vitro, the modified nanoparticles exhibited enhanced affinity towards cell lines overexpressing the cognate receptors for each ligand. When formulated with a chemotherapeutic payload, the modularly functionalized nanoparticles displayed strong targeting ability and growth suppression in a murine tumour xenograft model of ovarian cancer. According to the researchers their data suggests that genetic engineering offers a feasible approach for accelerating the development of multifunctional CNPs for a broad range of biomedical applications… read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Live cell fluorescent visualization of biological molecules binding to the surface of genetically modified cell membranes… Credit: Nature Nanotechnology, 30 October 2023