Targeting of EGF-displayed protein nanoparticles with anticancer drugs

The development of protein-based carriers for drug delivery has been well studied. We previously constructed a protein-based nanoparticle consisting of genetically engineered elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) with a fused poly-aspartic acid tail (ELPD ). The size of the self-assembled ELPD nanoparticles was regulated by charged repulsion of the poly-aspartic acid chains. In the present study, epidermal growth factor (EGF) was genetically fused to the C-terminus of ELPD to impart an active targeting ability to the ELPD nanoparticles. We examined the nanoparticle formation with EGF as well as its targeting ability. ELPD with fused EGF was found to form nanoparticles that displayed multivalent EGFs on their surface. EGF-displayed nanoparticles loaded with the anti-cancer drug paclitaxel were internalized into cells overexpressing the EGF receptor, and induced cell death.