How much biological drug eventually make the journey into the cells? This is a key question in the intracellular delivery field, but we do not have a comprehensive answer yet. We aim to develop simple and accurate methods to quantify intracellular delivery by bioorthogonal reactions. Our research will lead to a better understanding of nanomedicine and biological drugs inside cells, and eventually contribute to the development of new drug formulations in the future.
As is well-known, viruses are infectious nano-sized particles capable of delivering its genes into mammalian cells. However, their immunogenicity poses safety concerns, limiting the applications in drug delivery field. In our lab, we have developed a series of viral-mimicry polymer nanoparticles. These materials could load different types of therapeutics (anti-tumor small molecular drugs, siRNA, or small nanoparticles) and deliver them intracellularly via virus-surface protein inspired poly (alkyl methacrylate-co-methacrylic acid) fragments. The therapeutic effects of these developed materials have been evaluated using various in vitro and in vivo models.