Researchers have designed and created a membrane-bounded vesicle formed entirely of peptides that someday may serve as a new drug delivery system to safely treat cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.
Kansas State University (Kansas, USA) researchers have discovered a molecule that may be capable of delivering drugs inside the body to treat diseases. John M Tomich and colleagues have designed and created a membrane-bounded vesicle formed entirely of peptides — molecules made up of amino acids, the building blocks of protein. The membrane could serve as a new drug delivery system to safely treat cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. The peptides are a set of self-assembling branched molecules made up of naturally occurring amino acids. The chemical properties of a peptide create a vesicle that is comprised of a thin membrane and is hollow inside. Created in a water solution, the bubble is filled with water rather than air. The peptides — or bubbles — can be made in a solution containing a drug or other molecule that becomes encapsulated as the peptide assembles, yielding a trapped compound, much like a gelatin capsule holds over-the-counter oral remedies. The peptide vesicles could be delivered to appropriate cells in the body to treat diseases and minimize potential side effects.
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Sushanth Gudlur, Pinakin Sukthankar, Jian Gao, L. Adriana Avila, Yasuaki Hiromasa, John M Tomich, et al. “Peptide Nanovesicles Formed by the Self-Assembly of Branched Amphiphilic Peptides.” PLoS ONE: 18 Sep 2012.