Work

Synergistic Effects of Polycationic and Polyfluorinated Functionalities for Efficient Intracellular Protein Delivery

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Intracellular protein therapy is a promising strategy in biologics, including vaccine development, gene editing, and cancer therapeutics. However, protein-based drug delivery remains a significant challenge, particularly in penetrating cell barriers to reach intracellular targets. Inspired by transport adjuvants, we designed a series of polymeric vectors to achieve efficient functional protein trafficking with low cytotoxicity. With an adequate combination of guanidinium and fluorocarbon functionalities, a synergistic improvement of intracellular delivery is achieved in terms of both high intracellular transport and low cellular toxicity. The observed synergistic outcomes highlight new opportunities for delivery vehicle optimizations of intracellular biologics.

Source: Biomacromolecules

DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.4c01795

Authors: Bin Liu, Shuai Gong, Jingyi Qiu, Wardah Ejaz, S. Thayumanavan

Institution: University of Massachusetts Amherst

Language: English

Topic: RNA Interference and Gene Delivery

Subfield: Molecular Biology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Institutes of Health, National Institute of General Medical Sciences