Dutch researchers have developed a lipid anode particle that can be used to deliver nucleic acids into the bone marrow. They report in Nature Nanotechnology that it already works in mice.

Delivering molecules or drugs into the body has its challenges, especially when you need to get to a specific place that requires the molecule to pass through the liver first. One of the trickier targets is the bone marrow and its cells. A team led by TU Eindhoven has developed a prototype based on apolipoprotein lipid nanoparticles (aNPs) that can carry small interfering RNA (siRNA), among other things. This can be used to deliver nucleic acid-based drugs to the right place.