New lipid nanoparticle therapy simultaneously shrinks lung tumors and combats muscle wasting in mice

A team from Oregon State University's College of Pharmacy has engineered lipid nanoparticles that transport follistatin mRNA directly to lung tumors after intravenous injection. By attaching to vitronectin, the particles are steered to integrin-rich tumor surfaces, where the mRNA triggers production of follistatin, a protein that both suppresses tumor growth and promotes muscle maintenance. In mouse experiments, the therapy achieved roughly a 2.5-fold greater reduction in tumor burden compared with standard lipid carriers and simultaneously prevented the onset of cancer cachexia.

The study, authored by Oleh Taratula, Yoon Tae Goo and colleagues, appears in the Journal of Controlled Release and was supported by the National Cancer Institute, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Research Foundation of Korea, and Endevica Bio. While the results are promising, further preclinical work is required before any human testing can be considered.