Cell-mediated drug delivery
1. Cell types (vehicles)
Abilities: (1) long circulation, targeting to diseased tissue, controlled drug release.
(2) provide a range of functional groups (like thiol and amine groups) and
surface priorities.
priorities
 Biconcave disc ship
 Long circulation time
 Rich membrane proteins
 Highly flexible
Red blood cells
differentiation
Monocytes
Macrophages
Reach many special areas like hypoxic areas of tumors and inflamed
brain area.
It’s difficult to attach a cargo to their surface due to their phagocytic
competence.
Others: B-cells, T-cells, dendritic cells, natural killer cells.
• 2. PLGA (backpack)
 Biocompatible, nontoxic and biodegradable
 approved by the US FDA and European
Medicine Agency (EMA)
 Varied degradation time depending on
molecular weight and copolymer ratio
Conjugation principle: Do not impair any of the innate function of the hitchhiked
cell or be toxic or damaging to the cell.
• 3. PLGA based nanoparticles
Modified T cells with liposomes coated with the chemotherapeutic agent SN-38 to target disseminated tumors
(Cited from Huang etc. 2015, Sci. Transl. Med., )
Replaced with
hitchhiked cells
Cited from Kim etc. Pharmaceutics 2019, 11, 280