Peptides that guide medicine-carrying nanoparticles to osteoarthritic joints
Identification and application of targeting peptides for systemic nanoparticle delivery to osteoarthritic joints
This project seeks short peptides that help intravenously injected nanoparticles home to osteoarthritic joints so people with OA might receive medicines through a vein instead of repeated joint injections.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Florida NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Gainesville, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11136932 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will use a post‑traumatic osteoarthritis animal model and an in vivo phage display screen to identify peptides that preferentially accumulate in diseased joints after intravenous injection. The best peptides will be attached to nanoparticles and tested for joint targeting, biodistribution, and bioavailability compared with untargeted carriers. The work focuses on improving systemic delivery to cartilage and joint tissues to reduce off‑target exposure and avoid the need for intra‑articular injections. Successful candidates would be moved forward toward development as targeted OA drug carriers.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with osteoarthritis—especially post‑traumatic OA or those with multi‑joint disease who find repeated joint injections difficult—would be the likely future candidates for therapies developed from this work.
Not a fit: Those without osteoarthritis or people whose joint problems are caused by other diseases (for example, inflammatory arthritides with different targets) would not be expected to benefit from this specific targeting approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could make it possible to treat osteoarthritis with less pain and fewer clinic procedures by directing IV-delivered drugs to affected joints.
How similar studies have performed: Peptide-guided targeting and nanoparticle delivery have shown promise in other tissues, but systemic homing specifically to osteoarthritic joints is a novel and still unproven approach.
Where this research is happening
Gainesville, United States
- University of Florida — Gainesville, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sharma, Blanka — University of Florida
- Study coordinator: Sharma, Blanka
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.