Carrier-free microRNA delivery to improve cancer treatments
Enhancing miRNA Therapeutics through Vehicle Free Delivery
This project develops a way to deliver microRNA cancer medicines directly into tumor cells without traditional carrier particles to try to make treatments safer and more precise for people with cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Purdue University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (West Lafayette, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11294153 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
The team is creating methods to get therapeutic microRNAs into cancer cells without using lipid or nanoparticle carriers, focusing on using specific ligand–receptor interactions to target tumors. They are optimizing chemical changes to the RNA so it lasts longer inside cells and designing ways for the RNA to escape cell compartments called endosomes so it can work. Work combines laboratory experiments on cells and preclinical models to test delivery, targeting, and safety before any human use. The goal is to overcome the delivery problems that have limited RNA therapies for cancer so they could be used at lower doses with fewer side effects.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with cancers that could be treated by microRNA or RNA-silencing approaches, especially tumors expressing the specific target receptor used for delivery, would be the most likely candidates for future trials.
Not a fit: Patients whose tumors do not express the target receptor or whose cancer type is not amenable to microRNA-based therapy may not benefit from this approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could allow RNA-based cancer drugs to work better with fewer side effects and lower doses.
How similar studies have performed: RNA medicines have succeeded for vaccines and liver-targeted RNAi, but carrier-free microRNA delivery for cancer is a newer, largely unproven approach.
Where this research is happening
West Lafayette, United States
- Purdue University — West Lafayette, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kasinski, Andrea L — Purdue University
- Study coordinator: Kasinski, Andrea L
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.