Researchers at the Institut de Recerca Sant Pau in Barcelona have developed a novel nanomedicine strategy that maintains and even improves the effectiveness of chemotherapy while using significantly smaller doses of medication.
The findings, published in Materials Today Bio, address a major challenge in oncology: reducing the toxicity of chemotherapy without compromising its ability to fight cancer, according to a statement released by the Institut de Recerca Sant Pau on Wednesday, March 4, 2026.
The research team’s approach focuses on precision in drug delivery. “For years, it has been assumed that increasing the amount of drug was the way to improve efficacy, but our results indicate that what is truly decisive is how and where the drug binds to the nanocarrier,” explained Dr. Ugutz Unzueta, an investigator at the Institut de Recerca Sant Pau.
Targeted Nanomedicines
The researchers designed protein-based nanomedicines that can self-assemble into nanoparticles and selectively target tumor cells that overexpress the CXCR4 receptor. This receptor plays a role in the progression and spread of many solid and blood cancers, and its expression is linked to poorer clinical outcomes.
The platform utilizes a protein-based nanovehicle with multiple copies of a CXCR4-targeting peptide, which promotes preferential uptake by tumor cells and minimizes accumulation of the treatment in healthy tissues.
Strategic Positioning of Molecules
The study evaluated site-specific conjugation strategies, allowing for the attachment of a single drug molecule to strategically selected locations on the protein structure. This precise control over drug placement is key to the new approach.
The results demonstrate that controlling both the number of drug molecules and their exact location has a “positive impact” on the nanoconjugate’s ability to accumulate in the tumor and, its antitumor efficacy. This research offers a potential pathway to more effective and less toxic cancer treatments.
“We have shown that placing the drug in a structurally neutral region improves its therapeutic performance,” Dr. Unzueta noted.
