Drug Loaded Na**particles Mimic Platelets to Avoid Immune System and Reach Disease Ta
 

Drug Loaded Na**particles Mimic Platelets to Avoid Immune System and Reach Disease Targets
[IMG]http://www.medgadget.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/na**particles-for-disease.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://www.medgadget.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/platelet-membrane-coated-na**particles.jpg[/IMG]Pseudocolored scanning electron microscope images of platelet-membrane-coated na**particles (orange) binding to the lining of a damaged artery (top) and to MRSA bacteria (bottom). Each na**particle is approximately 100 na**meters in diameter, which is one thousand times thinner than an average sheet of paper. Image credit: Zhang Research Group, UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering.


While a great variety of na**particles have been developed that can deliver medicine deep inside the body, their targeting abilities can be quite limited and often rely on integrating unique antibodies for individual patients.*Researchers at University of California, San Diego are **w reporting in journal Nature on the creation of a polymeric na**particles that are encapsulated within the plasma membrane of circulating platelets, which naturally seek out and cling to injured parts of the body.*These na**particles, which have the entire set of characteristics present within platelet membranes, are able to safely avoid the immune system, permitting them to have unprecedented access within the body.

The particles are made by harvesting human platelets, breaking them apart to only gather their membranes. These are then attached to the polymeric na**particles, effectively cloaking the contents from being **ticed by the immune system.

The team tested the new na**particles on rats with damaged arteries, delivering*docetaxel that prevents scar development. The findings showed that the drug settles within the damaged tissue in greater quantities and helps with healing of the vessels. They also used the na**particles to deliver antibiotics to attack infections afflicting many parts of the body, which demonstrated*great success in a lab study.

From the study abstract in Nature:

Compared to uncoated particles, the platelet membrane-cloaked na**particles have reduced cellular uptake by macrophage-like cells and lack particle-induced complement activation in autologous human plasma.

The cloaked na**particles also display platelet-mimicking properties such as selective adhesion to damaged human and rodent vasculatures as well as enhanced binding to platelet-adhering pathogens. In an experimental rat model of coronary reste**sis and a mouse model of systemic bacterial infection, docetaxel and vancomycin, respectively, show enhanced therapeutic efficacy when delivered by the platelet-mimetic na**particles. The multifaceted biointerfacing enabled by the platelet membrane cloaking method provides a new approach in developing functional na**particles for disease-targeted delivery.

Nature:*Na**particle biointerfacing by platelet membrane cloaking…

Source: University of California, San Diego…

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