Therapeutic Peptide Sequences and Gatekeepers Loaded with Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles

The research community is developing and looking into new ways of effectively delivering anti-cancer treatment. According to National Cancer Institute over 1.5 million new cases of cancer are predicted in the United States, just alone in 2018. The major hurdles that have been identified by scientists are finding mechanisms that assist in decreasing the side effects of cancer treatment and to increase the effectiveness of the drug. In our lab, a highly toxic peptide sequence, SA-K6L9-AS is encapsulated in MSNs (mesoporous silica nanoparticles) and capped with a gatekeeper. The function of a gatekeeper is preventing the drug from leaking from the MSN before it has reached the targeted site (primary tumor or metastases). Once the destination is reacted, a peptide sequence between MSN and a gatekeeper is cleaved by one or several cancer-specific enzymes, and the cargo is released. The advantage of the enhancement of the MSNs with a gatekeeper is to load anti-cancer peptides into safe transport containers and obtain the maximal loading capacity, followed by effective release once the target has been reached