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Updated: Jun 13, 2026

Targeted Plasma Membrane Delivery of a Hydrophobic Cargo Encapsulated in a Liquid Crystal Nanoparticle Carrier
Published on: February 8, 2017
Targeted cytosolic delivery of cell-impermeable compounds by nanoparticle-mediated, light-triggered endosome
Sébastien Febvay1, Davide M Marini, Angela M Belcher
1Department of Cardiology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Manton Center for Orphan Disease, Children's Hospital Boston, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
Abstract:
Nanoparticle (NP)-mediated drug delivery typically relies on cargo release to occur passively or in response to environmental stimuli. Here we present a delivery method based on light-activated disruption of intracellular vesicles after internalization of biofunctionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles loaded with cargo. This method combines the power of targeted delivery with the spatiotemporal control of light activation. As an example, we delivered a cell-impermeable fluorescent compound exclusively to the cytosol of multidrug resistant cancer cells in a mixed population.
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