In a new study, published in Nature Materials, a team based at UCD, led by researchers from the University’s Centre for BioNano Interactions (CBNI), discovered that when certain nanoparticles enter a cell, a small number undergo an unexpected transformation, acquiring a coating known as a “condensate corona”.
A dense, stable droplet, this coating is made from the cell’s own proteins and RNA, the molecules that control how cells operate and regulate themselves. Key to the discovery is that this coating carries a small biological programme.
As these messaging droplets were released from the cell, researchers were able to capture them in transit, before they delivered their messages to other cells, due to tiny magnets embedded inside them.
Because the messages remained intact during capture, it was possible to read and understand how they were transferred.
Once inside a new cell, the coating detaches and, crucially, escapes the cell’s degradation system with remarkable efficiency.
This allows the carried proteins and RNA to access the new target cell and integrate into its internal processes.
The researchers showed that these transferred molecules remain active, meaning they can directly influence how recipient cells function.
The cell courier system could help deliver medicine to new parts of the body
Team Health Accessible
Health & Wellness Editorial Team
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