Researchers at the University of Central Florida are working on a new technology in which tiny biological vesicles can transport drugs directly to specific locations in the body. The technique is intended to make treatments for conditions such as heart disease and cancer more effective and reduce side effects.
The technology was developed by Dinender Singla and utilizes exosomes: microscopic vesicles naturally secreted by cells to communicate with one another. According to the researchers, these exosomes can be transformed into smart drug delivery systems. The university has since applied for patent protection for the technology, which is expected to advance to clinical trials in the future.
Exosomes for drug delivery
Exosomes are naturally involved in communication between cells and can transport biological material. Singla’s research team developed a method to package therapeutic substances into these vesicles and then label them with specific biological markers. These ensure that the exosomes can find their way to their intended destination in the body. According to Singla, the system functions as a kind of “smart microbubbles” that deliver drugs precisely to where they are needed.
This could be particularly relevant for conditions where medications are currently often administered in high doses without certainty that they effectively reach the correct location. In heart disease, for example, patients often use multiple medications simultaneously, while some of that medication also affects other organs. The researchers hope that targeted delivery will increase the effectiveness of treatments while simultaneously reducing the burden on the body.
Safer cancer treatment
An important area of research focuses on heart damage that can result from cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and chest radiation. These treatments sometimes cause inflammatory reactions that affect healthy heart tissue.
The research team therefore developed exosomes that can deliver anti-inflammatory medication directly to damaged heart tissue. At the same time, the researchers are working on applications in which cancer-fighting drugs are delivered directly to tumors using the same technology. For the initial laboratory studies, the researchers chose triple-negative breast cancer, an aggressive form of breast cancer with relatively limited treatment options and a lower survival rate than other forms of the disease.
According to the research team, laboratory tests showed that the therapy could effectively kill cancer cells at significantly lower doses than traditional chemotherapy. At the same time, the system appeared to better protect the heart from damage. The combination of cancer treatment and protection of healthy tissue makes the technology particularly interesting for future oncological therapies, according to the researchers.
Clinical application
The next step is to adapt the technology for clinical use and initiate studies for approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). To accelerate this process, Singla is collaborating with entrepreneur and investor Chakri Toleti, who previously worked in digital healthcare technology and AI platforms.
According to Toleti, the technology represents a fundamentally different way of thinking about targeted therapies and regenerative medicine. As part of the project, the company Exomic has also been founded to support the further development of the technology toward market introduction.
Precision medicine
In addition to potential applications for cardiovascular diseases and cancer, the researchers see broader opportunities for exosome-based therapies within precision medicine. Because exosomes are biologically compatible and can be specifically tailored, they could be used to treat a wide range of conditions in the future.
For now, however, the technology is still in an early research phase. Further validation and clinical studies are needed to determine how safe and effective the method actually is in humans. According to the researchers, the project primarily demonstrates how biomedical technology, materials science, and targeted drug delivery are increasingly converging in the development of new medications and treatments.
Innovation in drug delivery
Last year, researchers at ETH Zurich developed a groundbreaking microrobot capable of delivering medicines directly to targeted locations inside the body. Designed for applications such as dissolving blood clots, treating tumors, or fighting infections, the tiny robot could significantly improve precision medicine and reduce side effects from conventional drug treatments. The spherical robot is made from a dissolvable gel containing magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles, allowing it to be remotely controlled through electromagnetic fields. Additional tantalum nanoparticles make the robot visible during X-ray imaging, enabling real-time tracking through narrow blood vessels, including those in the brain.
The research demonstrates how the robot can move through the bloodstream using advanced magnetic navigation. Once it reaches the target area, magnetic heating dissolves the capsule and releases the medication precisely where needed, minimizing damage to surrounding tissue and reducing risks associated with high-dose systemic treatments.
