Intelligent drugs based on notch protein remodeling: a defensive targeting strategy for tumor therapy

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new type of intelligent drug that targets tumors while minimizing damage to healthy tissues.

Contribution

The development of an intelligent drug delivery system using MSCs that autonomously targets tumor cells.

Findings

MSCs modified with endostatin can distinguish tumor cells from healthy ones.

The drug selectively delivers its payload at the tumor site, reducing toxicity in healthy tissues.

Abstract

In the process of tumor treatment, systemic drug administration is hindered by biological barriers, leading to the retention of a large number of drug molecules in healthy tissues and causing unavoidable side effects. The precise deployment of drugs at the tumor site is expected to alleviate this phenomenon. Here, we take endostatin and Her2 (+) tumors as examples and develop an intelligent drug with simple “wisdom” by endowing mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) with an intelligent response program (iMSCEndostatin). It can autonomously perceive and distinguish tumor cells from non-tumor cells, establishing a logical connection between tumor signals and drug release. Enable it to selectively deploy drugs at the tumor site, thereby locking the toxicity of drugs at the tumor site. Unlike traditional aggressive targeting strategies that aim to increase drug concentration at the lesion, intelligent drugs are more inclined to be defensive strategies that prevent the presence of drugs in healthy tissues.

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