Nanoparticles hold significant potential to advance the therapeutic outcomesand prognosis for various fatal disease states. In recent years, nanomedicine has revolutionized the cancertherapeutics field with the advent of targeted drug delivery carriers to improve the bioavailability ofchemo drugs within the tumor tissues and reduce off-target effects. The size and surface properties of thenanocarriers can be tuned to accommodate drug molecules with different physicochemical properties andimprove the uptake efficiency by the target cells. Additionally, engineered nanoparticles can function as asheath to prevent the degradation of protein and gene-based therapeutics from harsh physiologicalconditions. Surface functionalization of nanoparticles can overcome the cellular barriers, a crucial hurdlein drug delivery, specifically towards the brain, lung, and intestine. Despite the widespread research onnano-mediated therapeutics, there is still a breach in the clinical translation of the nanoparticle-based drugdelivery approaches

The versatility of the nanoparticle-mediated drug delivery systems for cancer therapeutics hasbeen demonstrated in different tumor models. Novel two-dimensional stanene-based nanosheets loadedwith a hydrophobic drug, B-elemene exhibited a superior anti-tumor effect to the free form in the lungcarcinoma xenograft mice model. In the other study, surface-functionalized polymeric nanoparticlesloaded with docetaxel showed preferential internalization by the activated neutrophils and bypassed theblood vessel wall in the course of inflammation. A combinatorial therapy of cabozantinib with theintravenous administration of surface coated nanoparticles improved the neutrophil internalization andtumor regression in a genetically engineered mouse model of prostate cancer.

Chen W, Liu C, Ji X, Joseph J, Tang Z, Ouyang J, et al. Stanene-Based Nanosheets for β-Elemene Delivery and Ultrasound-Mediated Combination Cancer Therapy. Angew Chemie Int Ed [Internet]. 2021 Mar 22;60(13):7155–64.

Li W, Qiu J, Li XL, Aday S, Zhang J, Conley G, et al. BBB pathophysiology–independent delivery of siRNA in traumatic brain injury. Sci Adv. 2021;

Chaudagar KK, Landon-Brace N, Solanki A, Hieromnimon HM, Hegermiller E, Li W, et al. Cabozantinib unlocks efficient in vivo targeted delivery of neutrophil-loaded nanoparticles into murine prostate tumors. Mol Cancer Ther. 2021;

Jiang L, Jung S, Zhao J, Kasinath V, Ichimura T, Joseph J, et al. Simultaneous targeting of primary tumor, draining lymph node, and distant metastases through high endothelial venule-targeted delivery. Nano Today. 2021;

Peek behind the paper: BBB pathophysiology-independent siRNA delivery in TBI mice using nanoparticles

In this behind-the-paper interview, Nitin Joshi (Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, both MA, USA) discusses recent research exploring the use of a nanoparticle platform to achieve delivery of siRNA across the blood–brain barrier (BBB) in a mouse model of traumatic brain injury (TBI), regardless of the state of the barrier’s pathophysiology.