Leveraging endogenous MMPs for drug delivery in the cancer environment

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of proteolytic enzymes with long-established clinical relevance in cancer therapeutics and diagnostics. Their elevated activity in the tumor microenvironment is associated with key pathological processes such as metastasis, angiogenesis, and cancer cell invasion.

This review highlights recent developments in the design of MMP-responsive drug delivery systems that leverage the aberrant proteolytic activity of MMPs for targeted and spatiotemporally controlled drug delivery. Key strategies include the use of MMP-cleavable hydrogels, responsive nanoparticles, and various prodrug designs. While MMPs have historically been pursued as therapeutic targets, their physiological role has complicated this approach and led to little success. Instead, recent efforts have reframed MMP activity as a trigger for site-specific drug activation, offering improved precision in cancer treatment. The review also discusses current challenges and the translational progress of these delivery systems.

Exploiting MMP dysregulation in the tumor environment represents a logical next step in cancer treatment. Drug delivery systems that achieve MMP-responsive activation while reducing off-target effects and enhancing drug retention, circulation, or uptake are key to practical translation. Clinical realization of MMP-responsive delivery systems requires further refinement in protease selectivity, stability, and integration of other stimuli-responsive designs.