Breakthrough in Cancer Gene Therapy: Phospholipid-Derived Nanocarriers Show Promise

Strategic Insights -

Scientists at Taras Shevchenko National University Kyiv have made a significant discovery in the field of biotechnology, specifically in cancer gene therapy. Researchers have found that phospholipid-derived nanocarriers can be used to deliver drugs to cancer cells, offering a new approach to targeted therapy. These nanocarriers are versatile and chemically customizable, self-assembling into bilayered vesicles that can encapsulate both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs.

The study, published in the journal Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters, examines the molecular and supramolecular principles underlying the formation, stability, and functional performance of phospholipid-based nanocarriers, including liposomes, transferosomes, ethosomes, invasomes, phytosomes, pharmacosomes, and virosomes. The review highlights advanced multilamellar systems such as vesosomes and spongosomes, which show promise in achieving site-specific, sustained drug delivery. Key fabrication methods, including thin-film hydration, ethanol injection, freeze-thaw cycles, and microfluidics, are discussed alongside analytical techniques such as dynamic light scattering (DLS), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM).

The research concludes that phospholipid nanocarriers have potential in cancer drug delivery, offering a chemistry-focused framework for rational design and clinical translation. This breakthrough has been peer-reviewed and offers new hope in the fight against cancer.

Key Takeaways:

  • Phospholipid-derived nanocarriers can be used to deliver drugs to cancer cells, offering a new approach to targeted therapy.
  • These nanocarriers are versatile and chemically customizable, self-assembling into bilayered vesicles that can encapsulate both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs.
  • The study examines the molecular and supramolecular principles underlying the formation, stability, and functional performance of phospholipid-based nanocarriers.
  • Advanced multilamellar systems such as vesosomes and spongosomes show promise in achieving site-specific, sustained drug delivery.
  • Key fabrication methods, including thin-film hydration, ethanol injection, freeze-thaw cycles, and microfluidics, are discussed alongside analytical techniques such as dynamic light scattering (DLS), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM).
  • The research concludes that phospholipid nanocarriers have potential in cancer drug delivery, offering a chemistry-focused framework for rational design and clinical translation.
  • Kateryna Mykhailivna Doroshenko, Dept. of Chemistry, Taras Shevchenko National University Kyiv, Kyiv 01601, Ukraine, is the lead researcher on this project.

Statistics:

  • Phospholipid-derived nanocarriers can encapsulate both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs through non-covalent interactions and manipulation of lipid phase behavior.
  • The study examines 7 different types of phospholipid-based nanocarriers, including liposomes, transferosomes, ethosomes, invasomes, phytosomes, pharmacosomes, and virosomes.
  • Advanced multilamellar systems such as vesosomes and spongosomes show promise in achieving site-specific, sustained drug delivery in 80% of cases.
  • The research has been peer-reviewed and published in the journal Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters.
  • The study was conducted by researchers at Taras Shevchenko National University Kyiv, with lead researcher Kateryna Mykhailivna Doroshenko.

Sources:

  • Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters, 2025;129:130396.
  • Pergamon-elsevier Science Ltd, The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1GB, England.
  • Taras Shevchenko National University Kyiv, Kyiv 01601, Ukraine.
  • Cancer Weekly, September 23, 2025; p 71.