Delivering drugs directly to cancerous tumors is not an easy task. Cancer-killing drugs are most effective when released as close as possible to the interior of the tumor to maximize the probability that they will penetrate the cancerous cells. To do this, drug-delivery vehicles must be sturdy enough to survive the ride through the bloodstream but supple enough to infiltrate the tumor’s dense extra-cellular matrix (ECM), which consists mostly of hyaluronic acid.
Scientists at Drexel Univ. have come up with a way to give drug-carrying nanoparticles access to these seemingly impenetrable tumors. They have shown that the new method is four times more effective at delivering nanoparticles to cancerous tumors than the most-effective methods to date.
“It’s a unique strategy that involves the decoration of nano-vehicles with enzymes known to break down hyaluronic acid, which is a main barrier in the extracellular...
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