A new tool, developed by US researchers, could help to measure how effectively nanoparticles can deliver drugs to a patient’s cells.
Cutting-edge technology means nanoparticles can be used to deliver drug to very specific areas of the body, but currently, scientists can only see whether the nanoparticle has reached its target cell, not whether the contents of the particle have been properly released.
The team at Johns Hopkins Medicine, Maryland, USA, used a colour-coded system developed in mouse cells, and tested in live mice, to follow which cells had been exposed to the drug by labelling them with a fluorescent gene which can be tracked around the body.
“This [technology] would allow us to develop more precisely delivered therapies, which could improve both efficacy and safety,” said author Dr Jordan Green.