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Cancer research

Breakthrough in Cancer Gene Therapy: Mesoporous Silica-glycopolymer Hybrid Nanoparticles Show Potential

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Researchers from the University of Coimbra have developed a novel nanocarrier system that combines chemotherapeutic agents and nucleic acids to target liver cancer cells. Their study, published in the International Journal of Pharmaceutics, demonstrates the potential of this mesoporous silica-glycopolymer hybrid nanoplatform in dual-targeted therapy for liver cancer. This innovative approach shows promise in delivering a combined antitumor strategy involving HSV-TK/GCV suicide gene therapy and chemotherapy.

Key Takeaways:

  • The researchers developed mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) coated with lactobionic acid-based copolymers, which exhibited high ASGPR specificity and biological activity.
  • The designed hybrid MSN-based nanocarriers showed a 280-fold higher transfection activity in liver cancer cells than bare MSN particles.
  • These nanosystems efficiently mediated a combined antitumor strategy involving HSV-TK/GCV suicide gene therapy and chemotherapy (epirubicin) in liver cancer cells.
  • The research concluded that the MSN-based nanoplatform has great potential to be applied in combined therapeutic strategies for the treatment of liver cancer.
  • The University of Coimbra researchers prepared MSNs coated with lactobionic acid-based copolymers, which have a high binding affinity to asialoglycoprotein receptors (ASGPR) overexpressed in liver cells.
  • The hybrid MSN-based nanosystems showed a high level of specificity to liver cancer cells and high biological activity.

Statistics:

  • The MSN-glycopolymer hybrid nanosystems showed a 280-fold higher transfection activity in liver cancer cells than bare MSN particles.
  • The combined antitumor strategy involving HSV-TK/GCV suicide gene therapy and chemotherapy (epirubicin) managed to target liver cancer cells efficiently.

Sources:

  • International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 2025;675
  • NewsRx LLC, Cancer Weekly, May 13, 2025; p 45
  • University of Coimbra, Center for Neurosciences and Cell Biology, Cnc Uc, P-3004504 Coimbra, Portugal
  • Henrique Faneca, University of Coimbra, Center for Neurosciences and Cell Biology
  • Rosemeyre Cordeiro, Daniel Oliveira, Daniela Santo, and Jorge Coelho, University of Coimbra, Center for Neurosciences and Cell Biology

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