"Discovery and Translation of the Cell Membrane Coating Nanotechnology"
In this talk, I will report on the research discovery and translational progress of the cell membrane coating nanotechnology. By cloaking synthetic nanoparticle cores with the natural plasma membranes of human cells (e.g., RBC, platelet, WBC, cancer cell, etc.), the resulting cell membrane-coated nanoparticles (denoted “CNPs”) are demonstrated to possess many surface functions of natural cells. These biological functions include the evasion of the immune system, specific binding with target tissues or cells, and specific interaction with harmful biological agents such as bacterial toxins and viruses. Such multifaceted cell-mimicking interfacial properties are attributed to the presence of cell membrane on nanoparticle surface, which contain a myriad of membrane proteins, lipids, and their associated functions. Besides the use of wild-type cell membranes, CNPs can also be fabricated using genetically engineered cell membranes. By expressing desirable functional proteins on the plasma membrane of source cells, the resulting CNPs can achieve a wide range of drug delivery and therapeutic goals.
