In Situ Transformable Nanoparticle Effectively Suppresses Bladder Cancer by Damaging Mitochondria and Blocking Mitochondrial Autophagy Flux.

Tumor therapeutic strategies based on mitochondrial damage have become an emerging trend. However, the low drug delivery efficiency caused by lysosomal sequestration and the activation of protective mitochondrial autophagy severely restricts the therapeutic efficacy. Herein, an in situ transformable nanoparticle named KCKT is developed to promote lysosomal escape and directly damage mitochondria while blocking mitochondrial autophagy.

Bispecific fibrous glue synergistically boosts vascular normalization and antitumor immunity for advanced renal carcinoma therapy.

Immune checkpoint blockade therapy represented by programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitor for advanced renal carcinoma with an objective response rate (ORR) in patients is less than 20%. It is attributed to abundant tumoral vasculature with abnormal structure limiting effector T cell infiltration and drug penetration. We propose a bispecific fibrous glue (BFG) to regulate tumor immune and vascular microenvironments simultaneously.

Localized Instillation Enables Screening of Targeting Peptides Using One-Bead One-Compound Technology.

The One-Bead One-Compound (OBOC) library screening is an efficient technique for identifying targeting peptides. However, due to the relatively large bead size, it is challenging for the OBOC method to be applied for screening. Herein, we report an Localized Instillation Beads library (LIB) screening method to discover targeting peptides with the OBOC technique.

Transformable ECM Deprivation System Effectively Suppresses Renal Cell Carcinoma by Reversing Anoikis Resistance and Increasing Chemotherapy Sensitivity.

Extracellular matrix (ECM) is crucial in various biological functions during tumor progression, including induction of anoikis resistance and cell adhesion-mediated drug resistance (CAM-DR). Fibronectin (FN) is a vital ECM component with direct regulatory effects on ECM-mediated anoikis resistance and CAM-DR, making it an attractive and innovative therapeutic target for depriving ECM in tumor tissue. Herein, an ECM deprivation system (EDS) is developed based on FN targeting self-assembly peptide for constructing nanofibers in the ECM of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), which contributes to: i) targeting and recognizing FN to form nanofibers for long-term retention in ECM, ii) reversing anoikis resistance via arresting the FN signaling pathway, and iii) serving as a drug-loading platform for sensitizing chemotherapy by ameliorating CAM-DR.

Rapid discovery of self-assembling peptides with one-bead one-compound peptide library.

Self-assembling peptides have shown tremendous potential in the fields of material sciences, nanoscience, and medicine. Because of the vast combinatorial space of even short peptides, identification of self-assembling sequences remains a challenge. Herein, we develop an experimental method to rapidly screen a huge array of peptide sequences for self-assembling property, using the one-bead one-compound (OBOC) combinatorial library method.

A biomimetic platelet based on assembling peptides initiates artificial coagulation.

Platelets play a critical role in the regulation of coagulation, one of the essential processes in life, attracting great attention. However, mimicking platelets for in vivo artificial coagulation is still a great challenge due to the complexity of the process. Here, we design platelet-like nanoparticles (pNPs) based on self-assembled peptides that initiate coagulation and form clots in blood vessels.

Transformable Nanomaterials as an Artificial Extracellular Matrix for Inhibiting Tumor Invasion and Metastasis.

Tumor metastasis is one of the big challenges in cancer treatment and is often associated with high patient mortality. Until now, there is an agreement that tumor invasion and metastasis are related to degradation of extracellular matrix (ECM) by enzymes. Inspired by the formation of natural ECM and the in situ self-assembly strategy developed in our group, herein, we in situ constructed an artificial extracellular matrix (AECM) based on transformable Laminin (LN)-mimic peptide 1 (BP-KLVFFK-GGDGR-YIGSR) for inhibition of tumor invasion and metastasis.