New Nanoparticles Therapy for Patients with Lung Cancer, Cystic Fibrosis: Study Finds

New Delhi: For treating respiratory diseases, scientists have developed a new drug delivery system that transports genetic therapies directly to the lungs, opening possibilities for patients with conditions like lung cancer and cystic fibrosis. Findings were published in a pair of papers, in Nature Communications and the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Scientists created and tested more than 150 different materials and discovered a new type of nanoparticle that can safely and effectively carry messenger RNA and gene-editing tools to lung cells. In studies with mice, the treatment slowed the growth of lung cancer and helped improve lung function that had been limited by cystic fibrosis, a condition caused by one faulty gene.

Researchers also developed a chemical strategy to build a broad library of lung-targeting lipids used in the nanocarriers. These materials form the foundation for the new drug delivery system and could be customized to reach different organs in the body, Gaurav Sahay of Oregon State University's College of Pharmacy, said.

"The streamlined synthesis method makes it easier to design future therapies for a wide range of diseases," he said. "These results demonstrate the power of targeted delivery for genetic medicines. We were able to both activate the immune system to fight cancer and restore function in a genetic lung disease, without harmful side effects."

Reference: K. Yu. Vlasova, A. Kerr, N. D. Pennock, A. Jozic, D. K. Sahel, M. Gautam, N. T. V. Murthy, A. Roberts, M. W. Ali, K. D. MacDonald, J. M. Walker, R. Luxenhofer, G. Sahay. Synthesis of ionizable lipopolymers using split-Ugi reaction for pulmonary delivery of various size RNAs and gene editing. Nature Communications, 2025; 16 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-59136-z