Papers, explained in our own words

1. Biological and Terahertz-Derived Signatures of Polymer Nanocarrier-Induced Cellular Responses: Toward Structure-Response Relationships in Photodynamic Therapy

Campion T, Lordon B, Alauzet L, Wodrinski A, Fourquaux I, Putaux Jl, Et Al.

Polymer micelles based on poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(ε-caprolactone) (PEO-PCL) are widely investigated as nanocarriers for photodynamic therapy (PDT) due to their ability to solubilize hydrophobic photosensitizers such as pheophorbide a and enhance their delivery. In this study, we systematically assessed the…

• crosslinking
• micelles
• polymer nanovector
• self-assembly
• worm-like nanovectors

2. Engineered ionizable lipid siRNA conjugates enhance endosomal escape but induce toxicity in vivo

Annabelle Biscans, Socheata Ly, Nicholas Mchugh, David A. Cooper, Anastasia Khvorova

Lipid-conjugated siRNAs can reach extrahepatic tissues, but silencing efficacy remains lower than in liver largely because only ~1–2% of internalised siRNA escapes endosomes into the cytoplasm. Ionisable lipids enhance endosomal escape in lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), but direct covalent conjugation of an ionisable…

• siRNA
• Endosomal escape
• Lipid nanoparticle
• mRNA
• Transfection
• Nanoparticles
• Micelles

3. Synthesis of Polymeric Micelles with a Dual-Functional Sheddable PEG Stealth for Enhanced Tumor-Targeted Drug Delivery

Lu Sun, Hua Wei, Xiaoshuo Zhang, Chao Meng, Guiying Kang, Wei Ma, Liwei Ma, Baoyan Wang, Cuiyun Yu

Folic acid (FA)-mediated active targeting improves nanocarrier tumour specificity but exposes targeting ligands to the immune system, causing rapid clearance and nonspecific uptake. Existing acid-labile benzoic-imine PEG sheddable systems are insufficiently stable at physiological pH. A more stable, tumour-triggered…

• Polymeric
• Micelles
• Drug delivery
• Cellular uptake
• Nanocarriers
• Tumour microenvironment
• Tumour targeting

4. PiggyBac Transposon System with Polymeric Gene Carrier Transfected into Human T Cells

CAR-T cell therapy relies mainly on retroviral/lentiviral vectors, which carry risks of carcinogenicity and complex manufacturing. PiggyBac transposon systems offer a safer, simpler non-viral alternative for stable transgene expression, but primary T lymphocytes are difficult to transfect efficiently. A polymeric…

• Polymeric
• T cells
• DNA
• Transfection
• CAR-T cells
• Micelles
• Viral vectors

5. Verteporfin-loaded poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(beta-amino ester)- poly(ethylene glycol) triblock micelles for cancer therapy

Jayoung Kim, James G. Shamul, Sagar R Shah, Alyssa Shin, Ben J Lee, Alfredo Quiñones‐hinojosa, Jordan J. Green

Many anticancer small molecules have poor aqueous solubility, and verteporfin (VP) has mainly been used as a photodynamic therapy agent, which carries photosensitivity and delivery limitations. PBAE-based materials have been developed extensively for nucleic acid delivery but are less explored for non-genetic…

• Poly(beta-amino ester)
• Micelles
• Polymeric
• Drug delivery
• Macrophages
• Cellular uptake
• Biodistribution