Stealth anticancer nanoparticles made from mussel proteins that 'lie in wait and attack only cancer cells'
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Pancreatic cancer is considered one of the deadliest cancers because it is often diagnosed late and is difficult to treat. However, a South Korean research team has developed "smart nanoparticles" that remain hidden in normal tissue but shed their protective coating and release anticancer drugs once they reach tumor tissue. This drug delivery technology is attracting attention for its potential to reduce the side effects of cancer treatment while significantly improving treatment efficacy.
The findings of this study, conducted by a research team led by professor Hyung Joon Cha of the Department of Chemical Engineering and the Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology at POSTECH (Pohang University of Science and Technology), together with Ph.D. candidate Hyeokjun Lee of the Department of Chemical Engineering, were published in Biomaterials.
Borrowing from mussel adhesion
Pancreatic cancer is a notoriously difficult-to-treat disease because it is located deep within the body, making it hard to detect in its early stages, and it spreads rapidly to surrounding organs. While intravenous chemotherapy is the most widely used treatment, gemcitabine—a leading drug in this class—breaks down rapidly in the bloodstream and fails to reach tumor tissue in sufficient quantities. Furthermore, it also attacks normal cells, causing severe systemic side effects.
To address this issue, the research team drew inspiration from the principle that allows mussels to cling firmly even to wet rocks. Using molecular synthetic biotechnology, they mass-produced mussel adhesive protein, converted it into nanoparticles, encapsulated gemcitabine inside them and coated the surface with a protective layer of the biocompatible polymer polyethylene glycol (PEG).
Thanks to this protective layer, the nanoparticles can conceal their adhesive properties while traveling through the bloodstream, evading attacks from immune cells and circulating stably throughout the body.
A coating that comes off in tumors
The key to this study is a "spatially controlled stimulus-response system" designed so that the protective coating is removed only in tumor tissue. The research team used a special peptide—which is cleaved only by MMP2, an enzyme secreted in particularly high amounts in pancreatic cancer tissue—as the link in the protective coating.
As a result, the nanoparticles retain their protective coating while in the bloodstream, but once they reach tumor tissue, the coating is removed by the MMP2 enzyme.
Once stripped of their protective coating, these stealth nanoparticles regain the strong adhesive properties of mussel adhesive protein, firmly attaching themselves to the tumor tissue. They then penetrate the cancer cells and continuously release the anticancer drug, selectively attacking only the cancer cells.
Stronger tumor retention, lower toxicity
When these nanoparticles were administered intravenously in an animal model of pancreatic cancer, the results were striking. Compared with cases in which conventional anticancer drugs were administered alone or standard nanoparticles were used, the accumulation and retention time of the nanoparticles within the tumor tissue increased by more than 60%.
No systemic toxicity was observed, and tumor volume and weight were reduced by more than half compared with the group treated with conventional anticancer drugs alone. Histological analysis also confirmed widespread cancer cell death.
This technology is significant because it not only enhances treatment efficacy by keeping the drug in the tumor tissue for a longer period but also reduces the amount of drug delivered to normal tissue, thereby minimizing systemic side effects—a major challenge in cancer treatment.
Extending the platform beyond pancreas tumors
The research team plans to further develop this platform into a next-generation targeted drug delivery technology that can be applied not only to pancreatic cancer but also to various intractable solid tumors where drug delivery is difficult.
Cha stated, "The drug delivery platform we have developed is a novel systemic treatment that, even when administered intravenously, is selectively activated only within tumor tissue to release the drug," adding, "By reducing the side effects of cancer treatment while enhancing its efficacy, it will offer hope to patients with intractable solid tumors, including pancreatic cancer."
Publication details
Hyeokjun Lee et al, Stealthy systemic circulation of spatially controlled tumor microenvironment-activated bioadhesive proteinic nanoparticles for pancreatic cancer chemotherapy, Biomaterials (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2026.124384
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Citation: Stealth anticancer nanoparticles made from mussel proteins that 'lie in wait and attack only cancer cells' (2026, July 15) retrieved 16 July 2026 from https://phys.org/news/2026-07-stealth-anticancer-nanoparticles-mussel-proteins.html
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