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Updated: Feb 18, 2026

Direct Drug Delivery to Kidney via the Renal Artery
Published on: April 17, 2021
Selective Nanoparticle Targeting of the Renal Tubules
Ryan M Williams1, Janki Shah1, Helen S Tian1
1From the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York (R.M.W., J.S., H.S.T., X.C., F.G., E.A.J., D.A.H.); University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester (H.S.T.); and Weill Cornell Medical College, New York (X.C., F.G., E.A.J., D.A.H.).
Abstract:
Direct targeting to the kidneys is a promising strategy to improve drug therapeutic index for the treatment of kidney diseases. We sought to investigate the renal selectivity and safety of kidney-targeted mesoscale nanoparticle technology. We found that direct intravenous administration of these particles resulted in 26-fold renal selectivity and localized negligibly in the liver or other organs. The nanoparticles targeted the renal proximal tubular epithelial cells, as evidenced by intravital microscopy and ex vivo imaging. Mice treated with the nanoparticles exhibited no negative systemic consequences, immune reaction, liver impairment, or renal impairment. The localization of material selectively to the renal tubules is uncommon, and this work portends the development of renal-targeted drugs for the treatment of kidney diseases.
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