Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Review Article
  • Published:

Engineering platelets as cancer therapeutics

Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology (2026)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Accumulating evidence indicates that platelets promote cancer progression through direct interactions with malignant cells, the secretion of soluble mediators and the release of platelet-derived extracellular vesicles. In certain contexts, platelets can also suppress tumour progression by modulating immune responses, delivering antiproliferative microRNAs or releasing inhibitory factors. This dynamic and context-dependent interplay limits the effectiveness of strategies that solely inhibit or activate platelet activity and has driven the development of engineering approaches to reprogramme platelets with therapeutic intent. Unlike most cellular products, platelet-based approaches can be implemented in both autologous and allogeneic settings, providing more flexible approaches for developing new therapies. Over the past few years, advances in genetic and chemical engineering have enabled the multifunctional modification of platelets while preserving native properties essential for cancer therapy. Engineered platelets can act as targeted delivery vehicles to enhance local drug accumulation and release, or as active effector cells that directly modulate tumour progression. The clinical implementation of these engineered products will require control of platelet stability and activation, scalable manufacturing processes and rigorous safety evaluation. In this Review, we summarize the current understanding of platelet biology in cancer, examine engineering strategies for their therapeutic use, and outline opportunities and challenges for their clinical translation.

Key points

  • Platelets are active participants in cancer biology, with tumour-promoting or tumour-suppressive roles that are dynamic and context dependent, mediated through direct interactions, secretion of bioactive molecules and release of platelet-derived extracellular vesicles.

  • Platelets and their derivatives can be engineered into tumour-targeted drug delivery platforms by leveraging their cancer-associated biological properties and incorporating therapeutic payloads through internal encapsulation or surface conjugation.

  • Genetic or chemical engineering of platelets or their precursors generates hybrid products that integrate innate tumour-relevant characteristics with engineered functionalities, leading to enhanced or novel anticancer activities.

  • Translating platelet-based therapeutics into clinical applications will require scalable manufacturing processes and robust analytical strategies to ensure product consistency as well as support from regulatory agencies to facilitate widespread adoption.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: The landscape of platelet–cancer cell interactions.
Fig. 2: Strategies for engineering platelets to deliver cancer therapeutics.
Fig. 3: Strategies for engineering platelets as therapeutic agents.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Cappell, K. M. & Kochenderfer, J. N. Long-term outcomes following CAR T cell therapy: what we know so far. Nat. Rev. Clin. Oncol. 20, 359–371 (2023).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  2. Brudno, J. N. & Kochenderfer, J. N. Current understanding and management of CAR T cell-associated toxicities. Nat. Rev. Clin. Oncol. 21, 501–521 (2024).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  3. Myers, J. A. & Miller, J. S. Exploring the NK cell platform for cancer immunotherapy. Nat. Rev. Clin. Oncol. 18, 85–100 (2021).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. D’Avanzo, C., Blaeschke, F., Lysandrou, M., Ingelfinger, F. & Zeiser, R. Advances in cell therapy: progress and challenges in hematological and solid tumors. Trends Pharmacol. Sci. 45, 1119–1134 (2024).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Tarannum, M. et al. Engineering innate immune cells for cancer immunotherapy. Nat. Biotechnol. 43, 516–533 (2025).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Leung, J., Cau, M. F. & Kastrup, C. J. Emerging gene therapies for enhancing the hemostatic potential of platelets. Transfusion 61, S275–S285 (2021).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. van der Meijden, P. E. J. & Heemskerk, J. W. M. Platelet biology and functions: new concepts and clinical perspectives. Nat. Rev. Cardiol. 16, 166–179 (2019).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Haemmerle, M., Stone, R. L., Menter, D. G., Afshar-Kharghan, V. & Sood, A. K. the platelet lifeline to cancer: challenges and opportunities. Cancer Cell 33, 965–983 (2018).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  9. Xu, X. R., Yousef, G. M. & Ni, H. Cancer and platelet crosstalk: opportunities and challenges for aspirin and other antiplatelet agents. Blood 131, 1777–1789 (2018).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Gordon, M. S. et al. A phase I trial of recombinant human interleukin-6 in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes and thrombocytopenia. Blood 85, 3066–3076 (1995).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Machlus, K. R. et al. CCL5 derived from platelets increases megakaryocyte proplatelet formation. Blood 127, 921–926 (2016).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Contursi, A. et al. Biology and pharmacology of platelet-type 12-lipoxygenase in platelets, cancer cells, and their crosstalk. Biochem. Pharmacol. 205, 115252 (2022).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Martling, A. et al. Low-dose aspirin for PI3K-altered localized colorectal cancer. N. Engl. J. Med. 393, 1051–1064 (2025).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Lucotti, S. et al. Aspirin blocks formation of metastatic intravascular niches by inhibiting platelet-derived COX-1/thromboxane A2. J. Clin. Invest. 129, 1845–1862 (2019).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  15. Yang, J. et al. Aspirin prevents metastasis by limiting platelet TXA(2) suppression of T cell immunity. Nature 640, 1052–1061 (2025).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  16. Benoy, I. et al. Serum interleukin 6, plasma VEGF, serum VEGF, and VEGF platelet load in breast cancer patients. Clin. Breast Cancer 2, 311–315 (2002).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Muller, K., Gilbertz, K. P. & Meineke, V. Serotonin and ionizing radiation synergistically affect proliferation and adhesion molecule expression of malignant melanoma cells. J. Dermatol. Sci. 68, 89–98 (2012).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Ma, C. et al. Platelets control liver tumor growth through P2Y12-dependent CD40L release in NAFLD. Cancer Cell 40, 986–998.e5 (2022).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  19. Michael, J. V. et al. Platelet microparticles infiltrating solid tumors transfer miRNAs that suppress tumor growth. Blood 130, 567–580 (2017).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  20. Sier, V. Q. et al. Cell-based tracers as trojan horses for image-guided surgery. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 22, 755 (2021).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  21. Lu, Y., Hu, Q., Jiang, C. & Gu, Z. Platelet for drug delivery. Curr. Opin. Biotechnol. 58, 81–91 (2019).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Wang, C. et al. In situ activation of platelets with checkpoint inhibitors for post-surgical cancer immunotherapy. Nat. Biomed. Eng. 1, 0011 (2017).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Irvine, D. J., Maus, M. V., Mooney, D. J. & Wong, W. W. The future of engineered immune cell therapies. Science 378, 853–858 (2022).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  24. Wang, Y. et al. Cell–drug conjugates. Nat. Biomed. Eng. 8, 1347–1365 (2024).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  25. McPhedran, S. J., Carleton, G. A. & Lum, J. J. Metabolic engineering for optimized CAR-T cell therapy. Nat. Metab. 6, 396–408 (2024).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Li, Z., Wang, Y., Gu, Z. & Hu, Q. Engineering cells for therapy and diagnosis. Nat. Rev. Bioeng. 2, 770–784 (2024).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Martin, J. F., Kristensen, S. D., Mathur, A., Grove, E. L. & Choudry, F. A. The causal role of megakaryocyte–platelet hyperactivity in acute coronary syndromes. Nat. Rev. Cardiol. 9, 658–670 (2012).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Heijnen, H. F. G. & Korporaal, S. J. A. in Platelets in Thrombotic and Non-Thrombotic Disorders: Pathophysiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics: an Update (eds Gresele, P. et al.) 21–37 (Springer, 2017).

  29. Franco, A. T., Corken, A. & Ware, J. Platelets at the interface of thrombosis, inflammation, and cancer. Blood 126, 582–588 (2015).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  30. Baaten, C., Nagy, M., Bergmeier, W., Spronk, H. M. H. & van der Meijden, P. E. J. Platelet biology and function: plaque erosion vs. rupture. Eur. Heart J. 45, 18–31 (2024).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  31. Jiang, D. et al. RBCs regulate platelet function and hemostasis under shear conditions through biophysical and biochemical means. Blood 144, 1521–1531 (2024).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  32. Rodrigues, M., Kosaric, N., Bonham, C. A. & Gurtner, G. C. Wound healing: a cellular perspective. Physiol. Rev. 99, 665–706 (2019).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  33. Buka, R. J. et al. PF4 activates the c-Mpl–Jak2 pathway in platelets. Blood 143, 64–69 (2024).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  34. Koupenova, M., Livada, A. C. & Morrell, C. N. Platelet and megakaryocyte roles in innate and adaptive immunity. Circ. Res. 130, 288–308 (2022).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  35. Levin, J. & Conley, C. L. Thrombocytosis associated with malignant disease. Arch. Intern. Med. 114, 497–500 (1964).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Khorana, A. A., Francis, C. W., Culakova, E., Kuderer, N. M. & Lyman, G. H. Thromboembolism is a leading cause of death in cancer patients receiving outpatient chemotherapy. J. Thromb. Haemost. 5, 632–634 (2007).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Sallah, S., Wan, J. Y. & Nguyen, N. P. Venous thrombosis in patients with solid tumors: determination of frequency and characteristics. Thromb. Haemost. 87, 575–579 (2002).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Stein, P. D. et al. Incidence of venous thromboembolism in patients hospitalized with cancer. Am. J. Med. 119, 60–68 (2006).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Cho, M. S. et al. Platelets increase the proliferation of ovarian cancer cells. Blood 120, 4869–4872 (2012).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  40. Hu, Q. et al. Role of platelet-derived TGFβ1 in the progression of ovarian cancer. Clin. Cancer Res. 23, 5611–5621 (2017).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  41. Labelle, M., Begum, S. & Hynes, R. O. Direct signaling between platelets and cancer cells induces an epithelial–mesenchymal-like transition and promotes metastasis. Cancer Cell 20, 576–590 (2011).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  42. Ho-Tin-Noe, B., Goerge, T., Cifuni, S. M., Duerschmied, D. & Wagner, D. D. Platelet granule secretion continuously prevents intratumor hemorrhage. Cancer Res. 68, 6851–6858 (2008).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  43. De Palma, M., Biziato, D. & Petrova, T. V. Microenvironmental regulation of tumour angiogenesis. Nat. Rev. Cancer 17, 457–474 (2017).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  44. Verheul, H. M. et al. Platelet and coagulation activation with vascular endothelial growth factor generation in soft tissue sarcomas. Clin. Cancer Res. 6, 166–171 (2000).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  45. Janowska-Wieczorek, A., Marquez-Curtis, L. A., Wysoczynski, M. & Ratajczak, M. Z. Enhancing effect of platelet-derived microvesicles on the invasive potential of breast cancer cells. Transfusion 46, 1199–1209 (2006).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  46. Janowska-Wieczorek, A. et al. Microvesicles derived from activated platelets induce metastasis and angiogenesis in lung cancer. Int. J. Cancer 113, 752–760 (2005).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  47. Liang, H. et al. MicroRNA-223 delivered by platelet-derived microvesicles promotes lung cancer cell invasion via targeting tumor suppressor EPB41L3. Mol. Cancer 14, 58 (2015).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  48. Helley, D. et al. Platelet microparticles: a potential predictive factor of survival in hormone-refractory prostate cancer patients treated with docetaxel-based chemotherapy. Eur. Urol. 56, 479–484 (2009).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  49. Kim, H. K. et al. Elevated levels of circulating platelet microparticles, VEGF, IL-6 and RANTES in patients with gastric cancer: possible role of a metastasis predictor. Eur. J. Cancer 39, 184–191 (2003).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  50. Cooke, N. M. et al. Increased platelet reactivity in patients with late-stage metastatic cancer. Cancer Med. 2, 564–570 (2013).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  51. Wolny-Rokicka, E., Tukiendorf, A., Wydmański, J. & Zembroń-Łacny, A. The potential of the quick detection of selectins using raman spectroscopy to discriminate lung cancer patients from healthy subjects. J. Spectrosc. 2018, 7843208 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  52. Lesurtel, M. et al. Platelet-derived serotonin mediates liver regeneration. Science 312, 104–107 (2006).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  53. Nocito, A. et al. Serotonin regulates macrophage-mediated angiogenesis in a mouse model of colon cancer allografts. Cancer Res. 68, 5152–5158 (2008).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  54. Sibilano, M. et al. Platelet-derived miR-126-3p directly targets AKT2 and exerts anti-tumor effects in breast cancer cells: further insights in platelet-cancer interplay. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 23, 5484 (2022).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  55. Lazar, S. & Goldfinger, L. E. Platelets and extracellular vesicles and their cross talk with cancer. Blood 137, 3192–3200 (2021).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  56. Tsoi, K. K. F., Ho, J. M. W., Chan, F. C. H. & Sung, J. J. Y. Long-term use of low-dose aspirin for cancer prevention: a 10-year population cohort study in Hong Kong. Int. J. Cancer 145, 267–273 (2019).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  57. McNeil, J. J. et al. Effect of aspirin on cancer incidence and mortality in older adults. J. Natl Cancer Inst. 113, 258–265 (2021).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  58. McNeil, J. J. et al. Effect of aspirin on all-cause mortality in the healthy elderly. N. Engl. J. Med. 379, 1519–1528 (2018).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  59. Floyd, J. S. & Serebruany, V. L. Prasugrel as a potential cancer promoter: review of the unpublished data. Arch. Intern. Med. 170, 1078–1080 (2010).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  60. Wiviott, S. D. et al. Prasugrel versus clopidogrel in patients with acute coronary syndromes. N. Engl. J. Med. 357, 2001–2015 (2007).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  61. Morrow, D. A. et al. Vorapaxar in the secondary prevention of atherothrombotic events. N. Engl. J. Med. 366, 1404–1413 (2012).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  62. Wang, Y., Li, Z., Mo, F., Gu, Z. & Hu, Q. Engineered platelets: advocates for tumor immunotherapy. Nano Today 40, 101281 (2021).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  63. Lv, Y., Wei, W. & Ma, G. Recent advances in platelet engineering for anti-cancer therapies. Particuology 64, 2–13 (2022).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  64. Hu, Q. et al. Inhibition of post-surgery tumour recurrence via a hydrogel releasing CAR-T cells and anti-PDL1-conjugated platelets. Nat. Biomed. Eng. 5, 1038–1047 (2021).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  65. Hu, Q. et al. Conjugation of haematopoietic stem cells and platelets decorated with anti-PD-1 antibodies augments anti-leukaemia efficacy. Nat. Biomed. Eng. 2, 831–840 (2018).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  66. Yap, M. L. et al. Activated platelets in the tumor microenvironment for targeting of antibody-drug conjugates to tumors and metastases. Theranostics 9, 1154–1169 (2019).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  67. Wang, X., Chen, J. & Shi, H. Platelets: novel biomaterials for cancer diagnosis and therapeutic delivery. MedComm – Biomater. Appl. 4, e70010 (2025).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  68. Li, Z. et al. Cell-based delivery systems: emerging carriers for immunotherapy. Adv. Funct. Mater. 31, 2100088 (2021).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  69. Sarkar, S., Alam, M. A., Shaw, J. & Dasgupta, A. K. Drug delivery using platelet cancer cell interaction. Pharm. Res. 30, 2785–2794 (2013).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  70. Ortiz-Otero, N., Mohamed, Z. & King, M. R. in Biomechanics in Oncology (eds Dong, C. et al.) 235–251 (Springer, 2018).

  71. Zhang, Y. et al. A platelet intelligent vehicle with navigation for cancer photothermal-chemotherapy. ACS Nano 16, 6359–6371 (2022).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  72. Tang, S. et al. Enzyme-powered Janus platelet cell robots for active and targeted drug delivery. Sci. Robot. 5, eaba6137 (2020).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  73. Zheng, Q. et al. The recent progress on metal-organic frameworks for phototherapy. Chem. Soc. Rev. 50, 5086–5125 (2021).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  74. Stubelius, A., Lee, S. & Almutairi, A. The chemistry of boronic acids in nanomaterials for drug delivery. Acc. Chem. Res. 52, 3108–3119 (2019).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  75. Yan, J. et al. Platelet pharmacytes for the hierarchical amplification of antitumor immunity in response to self-generated immune signals. Adv. Mater. 34, e2109517 (2022).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  76. Li, H. et al. Disrupting tumour vasculature and recruitment of aPDL1-loaded platelets control tumour metastasis. Nat. Commun. 12, 2773 (2021).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  77. Lu, Q. et al. Bioengineered platelets combining chemotherapy and immunotherapy for postsurgical melanoma treatment: internal core-loaded doxorubicin and external surface-anchored anti-PD-L1 antibody backpacks. Nano Lett. 22, 3141–3150 (2022).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  78. Wang, Y. et al. Active recruitment of anti-PD-1-conjugated platelets through tumor-selective thrombosis for enhanced anticancer immunotherapy. Sci. Adv. 9, eadf6854 (2023).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  79. Chen, Y., Pal, S. & Hu, Q. Cell-based relay delivery strategy in biomedical applications. Adv. Drug Deliv. Rev. 198, 114871 (2023).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  80. Fan, X. et al. Surface-anchored tumor microenvironment-responsive protein nanogel-platelet system for cytosolic delivery of therapeutic protein in the post-surgical cancer treatment. Acta Biomater. 154, 412–423 (2022).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  81. Wang, S. et al. Engineered platelets-based drug delivery platform for targeted thrombolysis. Acta Pharm. Sin. B 12, 2000–2013 (2022).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  82. Zhou, L., Feng, W., Mao, Y., Chen, Y. & Zhang, X. Nanoengineered sonosensitive platelets for synergistically augmented sonodynamic tumor therapy by glutamine deprivation and cascading thrombosis. Bioact. Mater. 24, 26–36 (2023).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  83. Fuentes, R. E. et al. A chimeric platelet-targeted urokinase prodrug selectively blocks new thrombus formation. J. Clin. Invest. 126, 483–494 (2016).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  84. Ding, Y. F. et al. Supramolecularly functionalized platelets for rapid control of hemorrhage. Acta Biomater. 149, 248–257 (2022).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  85. Shen, D. et al. Antibody-armed platelets for the regenerative targeting of endogenous stem cells. Nano Lett. 19, 1883–1891 (2019).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  86. Zhao, J. et al. Glucose-decorated engineering platelets for active and precise tumor-targeted drug delivery. Biomater. Sci. 11, 3965–3975 (2023).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  87. Yang, Y. et al. T cell-mimicking platelet-drug conjugates. Matter 6, 2340–2355 (2023).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  88. Gao, Y. et al. Engineering platelets with PDL1 antibodies and iron oxide nanoparticles for postsurgical cancer immunotherapy. ACS Appl. Bio Mater. 6, 257–266 (2023).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  89. Hansen, C. E. et al. Platelet-microcapsule hybrids leverage contractile force for targeted delivery of hemostatic agents. ACS Nano 11, 5579–5589 (2017).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  90. Stephan, M. T., Moon, J. J., Um, S. H., Bershteyn, A. & Irvine, D. J. Therapeutic cell engineering with surface-conjugated synthetic nanoparticles. Nat. Med. 16, 1035–1041 (2010).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  91. Lu, R., Li, Y., Xu, A., King, B. & Ruan, K. H. Reprogramming megakaryocytes for controlled release of platelet-like particles carrying a single-chain thromboxane A2 receptor-g-protein complex with therapeutic potential. Cells 12, 2775 (2023).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  92. Ma, Y. et al. Bioengineering platelets presenting PD-L1, galectin-9 and BTLA to ameliorate type 1 diabetes. Adv. Sci. 12, e2501139 (2025).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  93. He, J. et al. Platelet backpacking nanoparticles based on bacterial outer membrane vesicles enhanced photothermal-immune anti-tumor therapy. Nanoscale 17, 1510–1523 (2025).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  94. Feng, Y. et al. Engineering supramolecular peptide nanofibers for in vivo platelet-hitchhiking beyond ligand-receptor recognition. Sci. Adv. 10, eadq2072 (2024).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  95. Li, Y. T., Nishikawa, T. & Kaneda, Y. Platelet-cytokine complex suppresses tumour growth by exploiting intratumoural thrombin-dependent platelet aggregation. Sci. Rep. 6, 25077 (2016).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  96. Xu, H. Z. et al. Targeted photodynamic therapy of glioblastoma mediated by platelets with photo-controlled release property. Biomaterials 290, 121833 (2022).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  97. Cacic, D., Hervig, T. & Reikvam, H. Platelets for advanced drug delivery in cancer. Expert. Opin. Drug Deliv. 20, 673–688 (2023).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  98. Xu, P. et al. Doxorubicin-loaded platelets conjugated with anti-CD22 mAbs: a novel targeted delivery system for lymphoma treatment with cardiopulmonary avoidance. Oncotarget 8, 58322–58337 (2017).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  99. Lu, Q. et al. Long-acting bioengineered platelets with internal doxorubicin loaded and external quercetin liposomes anchored for post-surgical tumor therapy. J. Control. Rel. 381, 113546 (2025).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  100. Dong, H., Gao, M., Lu, L., Gui, R. & Fu, Y. Doxorubicin-loaded platelet decoys for enhanced chemoimmunotherapy against triple-negative breast cancer in mice model. Int. J. Nanomed. 18, 3577–3593 (2023).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  101. Xu, P. et al. Doxorubicin-loaded platelets as a smart drug delivery system: an improved therapy for lymphoma. Sci. Rep. 7, 42632 (2017).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  102. Wu, Y. W. et al. Clinical-grade cryopreserved doxorubicin-loaded platelets: role of cancer cells and platelet extracellular vesicles activation loop. J. Biomed. Sci. 27, 45 (2020).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  103. Tanaka, H. et al. Treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma with autologous platelets encapsulating sorafenib or lenvatinib: a novel therapy exploiting tumor–platelet interactions. Int. J. Cancer 150, 1640–1653 (2022).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  104. Rao, L. et al. Platelet-facilitated photothermal therapy of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 57, 986–991 (2018).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  105. Nishikawa, T., Tung, L. Y. & Kaneda, Y. Systemic administration of platelets incorporating inactivated Sendai virus eradicates melanoma in mice. Mol. Ther. 22, 2046–2055 (2014).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  106. Abdelgawwad, M. S. et al. Transfusion of platelets loaded with recombinant ADAMTS13 (A Disintegrin and Metalloprotease With Thrombospondin Type 1 Repeats-13) is efficacious for inhibiting arterial thrombosis associated with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol. 38, 2731–2743 (2018).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  107. Lv, Y. et al. Near-infrared light-triggered platelet arsenal for combined photothermal-immunotherapy against cancer. Sci. Adv. 7, eabd7614 (2021).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  108. Zhao, Z. et al. Platelet-drug conjugates engineered via one-step fusion approach for metastatic and postoperative cancer treatment. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 63, e202403541 (2024).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  109. Morales-Pacheco, M. et al. The role of platelets in cancer: from their influence on tumor progression to their potential use in liquid biopsy. Biomarker Res. 13, 27 (2025).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  110. Geranpayehvaghei, M. et al. Targeting delivery of platelets inhibitor to prevent tumor metastasis. Bioconjug. Chem. 30, 2349–2357 (2019).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  111. Demers, M. & Wagner, D. D. Targeting platelet function to improve drug delivery. Oncoimmunology 1, 100–102 (2012).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  112. Flaumenhaft, R., Mairuhu, A. T. & Italiano, J. E. Platelet- and megakaryocyte-derived microparticles. Semin. Thromb. Hemost. 36, 881–887 (2010).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  113. Heijnen, H. F., Schiel, A. E., Fijnheer, R., Geuze, H. J. & Sixma, J. J. Activated platelets release two types of membrane vesicles: microvesicles by surface shedding and exosomes derived from exocytosis of multivesicular bodies and α-granules. Blood 94, 3791–3799 (1999).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  114. Tao, S. C., Guo, S. C. & Zhang, C. Q. Platelet-derived extracellular vesicles: an emerging therapeutic approach. Int. J. Biol. Sci. 13, 828–834 (2017).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  115. Soleymani, S., Yari, F., Bolhassani, A. & Bakhshandeh, H. Platelet microparticles: an effective delivery system for anti-viral drugs. J. Drug Deliv. Sci. Technol. 51, 290–296 (2019).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  116. Gamonet, C. et al. Processing methods and storage duration impact extracellular vesicle counts in red blood cell units. Blood Adv. 4, 5527–5539 (2020).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  117. Yao, C. & Wang, C. Platelet-derived extracellular vesicles for drug delivery. Biomater. Sci. 11, 5758–5768 (2023).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  118. Meliciano, A., Salvador, D., Mendonca, P., Louro, A. F. & Serra, M. Clinically expired platelet concentrates as a source of extracellular vesicles for targeted anti-cancer drug delivery. Pharmaceutics 15, 953 (2023).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  119. Kailashiya, J., Gupta, V. & Dash, D. Engineered human platelet-derived microparticles as natural vectors for targeted drug delivery. Oncotarget 10, 5835–5846 (2019).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  120. Ning, S. et al. Platelet-derived exosomes hybrid liposomes facilitate uninterrupted singlet oxygen generation to enhance breast cancer immunotherapy. Cell Rep. Phys. Sci. 4, 101505 (2023).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  121. Wang, H. et al. Platelet–membrane–biomimetic nanoparticles for targeted antitumor drug delivery. J. Nanobiotechnol. 17, 60 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  122. Fang, R. H., Gao, W. & Zhang, L. Targeting drugs to tumours using cell membrane-coated nanoparticles. Nat. Rev. Clin. Oncol. 20, 33–48 (2023).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  123. Hu, Q. et al. Anticancer platelet-mimicking nanovehicles. Adv. Mater. 27, 7043–7050 (2015).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  124. Gu, Z. & Hu, Q. Platelet membrane-coated drug delivery system. US patent 10,363,226 (30 July 2019).

  125. Hu, Q. et al. Engineered nanoplatelets for enhanced treatment of multiple myeloma and thrombus. Adv. Mater. 28, 9573–9580 (2016).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  126. Mei, D. et al. Platelet membrane-cloaked paclitaxel-nanocrystals augment postoperative chemotherapeutical efficacy. J. Control. Rel. 324, 341–353 (2020).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  127. Zhang, M. et al. Platelet-mimicking biotaxis targeting vasculature-disrupted tumors for cascade amplification of hypoxia-sensitive therapy. ACS Nano 13, 14230–14240 (2019).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  128. Li, J. et al. Targeted drug delivery to circulating tumor cells via platelet membrane-functionalized particles. Biomaterials 76, 52–65 (2016).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  129. Bahmani, B. et al. Intratumoral immunotherapy using platelet-cloaked nanoparticles enhances antitumor immunity in solid tumors. Nat. Commun. 12, 1999 (2021).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  130. Hubbell, J. A. & Langer, R. Translating materials design to the clinic. Nat. Mater. 12, 963–966 (2013).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  131. Danhier, F. To exploit the tumor microenvironment: since the EPR effect fails in the clinic, what is the future of nanomedicine? J. Control. Rel. 244, 108–121 (2016).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  132. Quader, S. & Kataoka, K. Nanomaterial-enabled cancer therapy. Mol. Ther. 25, 1501–1513 (2017).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  133. Rosenblum, D., Joshi, N., Tao, W., Karp, J. M. & Peer, D. Progress and challenges towards targeted delivery of cancer therapeutics. Nat. Commun. 9, 1410 (2018).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  134. Au, J. L. S., Jang, S. H. & Wientjes, M. G. Clinical aspects of drug delivery to tumors. J. Control. Rel. 78, 81–95 (2002).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  135. Minchinton, A. I. & Tannock, I. F. Drug penetration in solid tumours. Nat. Rev. Cancer 6, 583–592 (2006).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  136. Wang, S. et al. Drug targeting via platelet membrane-coated nanoparticles. Small Struct. 1, 2000018 (2020).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  137. Dash, P., Piras, A. M. & Dash, M. Cell membrane coated nanocarriers — an efficient biomimetic platform for targeted therapy. J. Control. Rel. 327, 546–570 (2020).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  138. Schiffer, C. A. et al. Platelet transfusion for patients with cancer: American Society of Clinical Oncology clinical practice guideline update. J. Clin. Oncol. 36, 283–299 (2018).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  139. Kogler, V. J. et al. Platelet dysfunction reversal with cold-stored vs room temperature-stored platelet transfusions. Blood 143, 2073–2088 (2024).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  140. Haemmerle, M. et al. FAK regulates platelet extravasation and tumor growth after antiangiogenic therapy withdrawal. J. Clin. Invest. 126, 1885–1896 (2016).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  141. Rachidi, S. et al. Platelets subvert T cell immunity against cancer via GARP–TGFβ axis. Sci. Immunol. 2, eaai7911 (2017).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  142. Braun, A., Anders, H. J., Gudermann, T. & Mammadova-Bach, E. Platelet-cancer interplay: molecular mechanisms and new therapeutic avenues. Front. Oncol. 11, 665534 (2021).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  143. Li, J., Sharkey, C. C., Wun, B., Liesveld, J. L. & King, M. R. Genetic engineering of platelets to neutralize circulating tumor cells. J. Control. Rel. 228, 38–47 (2016).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  144. Zhang, X. et al. Engineering PD-1-presenting platelets for cancer immunotherapy. Nano Lett. 18, 5716–5725 (2018).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  145. Strong, C. et al. Genetic engineering of transfusable platelets with mRNA-lipid nanoparticles is compatible with blood banking practices. Blood 144, 2223–2236 (2024).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  146. Leung, J. et al. Genetically engineered transfusable platelets using mRNA lipid nanoparticles. Sci. Adv. 9, eadi0508 (2023).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  147. Chatterjee, S., Kon, E., Sharma, P. & Peer, D. Endosomal escape: a bottleneck for LNP-mediated therapeutics. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 121, e2307800120 (2024).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  148. Kong, H. et al. An antifouling membrane-fusogenic liposome for effective intracellular delivery in vivo. Nat. Commun. 15, 4267 (2024).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  149. Novakowski, S., Jiang, K., Prakash, G. & Kastrup, C. Delivery of mRNA to platelets using lipid nanoparticles. Sci. Rep. 9, 552 (2019).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  150. Strilchuk, A. W. et al. Sustained depletion of FXIII-A by inducing acquired FXIII-B deficiency. Blood 136, 2946–2954 (2020).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  151. Hong, W. et al. Transfection of human platelets with short interfering RNA. Clin. Transl. Sci. 4, 180–182 (2011).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  152. Lazar, S., Wurtzel, J. G. T., Chen, X., Ma, P. & Goldfinger, L. E. High-efficiency unassisted transfection of platelets with naked double-stranded miRNAs modulates signal-activated translation and platelet function. Platelets 32, 794–806 (2021).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  153. Wang, Y. et al. Chemically engineering cells for precision medicine. Chem. Soc. Rev. 52, 1068–1102 (2023).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  154. Hoffmeister, K. M. & Falet, H. Platelet clearance by the hepatic ashwell-morrell receptor: mechanisms and biological significance. Thromb. Res. 141 (Suppl. 2), S68–S72 (2016).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  155. Reusswig, F., An, O. & Deppermann, C. Platelet life cycle during aging: function, production and clearance. Platelets 35, 2433750 (2024).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  156. Li, J. et al. Desialylated platelet clearance in the liver is a novel mechanism of systemic immunosuppression. Research 6, 0236 (2023).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  157. Papa, A. L. et al. Platelet decoys inhibit thrombosis and prevent metastatic tumor formation in preclinical models. Sci. Transl. Med. 11, eaau5898 (2019).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  158. Tamura, T. & Hamachi, I. N-Acyl-N-alkyl/aryl sulfonamide chemistry assisted by proximity for modification and covalent inhibition of endogenous proteins in living systems. Acc. Chem. Res. 58, 87–100 (2025).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  159. Chen, Y. et al. Engineered platelets as targeted protein degraders and application to breast cancer models. Nat. Biotechnol. 43, 1800–1812 (2024).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  160. Tozzi, L. et al. Multi-channel silk sponge mimicking bone marrow vascular niche for platelet production. Biomaterials 178, 122–133 (2018).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  161. Avanzi, M. P. et al. A novel bioreactor and culture method drives high yields of platelets from stem cells. Transfusion 56, 170–178 (2016).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  162. Thon, J. N. et al. Platelet bioreactor-on-a-chip. Blood 124, 1857–1867 (2014).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  163. Ito, Y. et al. Turbulence activates platelet biogenesis to enable clinical scale ex vivo production. Cell 174, 636–648.e18 (2018).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  164. Sugimoto, N. et al. iPLAT1: the first-in-human clinical trial of iPSC-derived platelets as a phase 1 autologous transfusion study. Blood 140, 2398–2402 (2022).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  165. Sugimoto, N. & Eto, K. Ex vivo production of platelets from iPSCs: the iPLAT1 study and beyond. Hemasphere 7, e884 (2023).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  166. Schut, A. M., Kirschbaum, M., Adelmeijer, J., de Groot, P. G. & Lisman, T. In vitro uptake of recombinant factor VIIa by megakaryocytes with subsequent production of platelets containing functionally active drug. Br. J. Haematol. 178, 482–486 (2017).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  167. Wilcox, D. A. et al. Induction of megakaryocytes to synthesize and store a releasable pool of human factor VIII. J. Thromb. Haemost. 1, 2477–2489 (2003).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  168. Miao, H. Z. et al. Bioengineering of coagulation factor VIII for improved secretion. Blood 103, 3412–3419 (2004).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  169. Figueiredo, C. et al. Generation of HLA-deficient platelets from hematopoietic progenitor cells. Transfusion 50, 1690–1701 (2010).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  170. Suzuki, D. et al. iPSC-derived platelets depleted of HLA class I are inert to anti-HLA class I and natural killer cell immunity. Stem Cell Rep. 14, 49–59 (2020).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  171. Fuentes, R. et al. Infusion of mature megakaryocytes into mice yields functional platelets. J. Clin. Invest. 120, 3917–3922 (2010).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  172. Patel, A. et al. Pre-clinical development of a cryopreservable megakaryocytic cell product capable of sustained platelet production in mice. Transfusion 59, 3698–3713 (2019).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  173. Kim, H. et al. Studies of infused megakaryocytes into mice support a “catch-and-release” model of pulmonary-centric thrombopoiesis. Preprint at bioRxiv https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.06.04.597316 (2024).

  174. Wang, X. et al. Intraosseous delivery of lentiviral vectors targeting factor VIII expression in platelets corrects murine hemophilia A. Mol. Ther. 23, 617–626 (2015).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  175. Wang, X. et al. Enhancing therapeutic efficacy of in vivo platelet-targeted gene therapy in hemophilia a mice. Blood Adv. 4, 5722–5734 (2020).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  176. Basha, G. et al. Lipid nanoparticle delivery of siRNA to osteocytes leads to effective silencing of SOST and inhibition of sclerostin in vivo. Mol. Ther. Nucleic Acids 5, e363 (2016).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  177. Sago, C. D. et al. Nanoparticles that deliver RNA to bone marrow identified by in vivo directed evolution. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 140, 17095–17105 (2018).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  178. Labrosse, R. et al. Outcomes of hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy for Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome. Blood 142, 1281–1296 (2023).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  179. Gratwohl, A. et al. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for hematological malignancies in Europe. Leukemia 17, 941–959 (2003).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  180. Wojtukiewicz, M. Z., Sierko, E., Hempel, D., Tucker, S. C. & Honn, K. V. Platelets and cancer angiogenesis nexus. Cancer Metastasis Rev. 36, 249–262 (2017).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  181. Borsig, L. et al. Heparin and cancer revisited: mechanistic connections involving platelets, P-selectin, carcinoma mucins, and tumor metastasis. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 98, 3352–3357 (2001).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  182. Karpatkin, S., Pearlstein, E., Ambrogio, C. & Coller, B. S. Role of adhesive proteins in platelet tumor interaction in vitro and metastasis formation in vivo. J. Clin. Invest. 81, 1012–1019 (1988).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  183. Herrmann, I. K., Wood, M. J. A. & Fuhrmann, G. Extracellular vesicles as a next-generation drug delivery platform. Nat. Nanotechnol. 16, 748–759 (2021).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  184. Propper, D. J. & Balkwill, F. R. Harnessing cytokines and chemokines for cancer therapy. Nat. Rev. Clin. Oncol. 19, 237–253 (2022).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  185. Anselmo, A. C. & Mitragotri, S. Nanoparticles in the clinic: an update. Bioeng. Transl. Med. 4, e10143 (2019).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  186. Looby, M. et al. Application of quality by design principles to the development and technology transfer of a major process improvement for the manufacture of a recombinant protein. Biotechnol. Prog. 27, 1718–1729 (2011).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  187. Kim, Y. J. et al. Quality by design characterization of the perfusion culture process for recombinant FVIII. Biologicals 59, 37–46 (2019).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  188. Quach, M. E., Chen, W. & Li, R. Mechanisms of platelet clearance and translation to improve platelet storage. Blood 131, 1512–1521 (2018).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  189. Cesar, J. M. & Vecino, A. M. Survival and function of transfused platelets. studies in two patients with congenital deficiencies of platelet membrane glycoproteins. Platelets 20, 158–162 (2009).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  190. Rank, A. et al. Clearance of platelet microparticles in vivo. Platelets 22, 111–116 (2011).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  191. Bashor, C. J., Hilton, I. B., Bandukwala, H., Smith, D. M. & Veiseh, O. Engineering the next generation of cell-based therapeutics. Nat. Rev. Drug Discov. 21, 655–675 (2022).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  192. Solves Alcaina, P. Platelet transfusion: and update on challenges and outcomes. J. Blood Med. 11, 19–26 (2020).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  193. Manduzio, P. Transfusion-associated graft-versus-host disease: a concise review. Hematol. Rep. 10, 7724 (2018).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  194. Leitner, G. C. et al. Influence of human platelet antigen match on the success of stem cell transplantation after myeloablative conditioning. Bone Marrow Transpl. 32, 821–824 (2003).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  195. Duquesnoy, R. J., Filip, D. J., Rodey, G. E., Rimm, A. A. & Aster, R. H. Successful transfusion of platelets “mismatched” for HLA antigens to alloimmunized thrombocytopenic patients. Am. J. Hematol. 2, 219–226 (1977).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  196. Ward, S. R. et al. 984-30 use of electroporated platelets as a novel drug delivery system in preventing complications of coronary angioplasty. J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. 25, 303A–304A (1995).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The work of the authors is supported, in part, by an American Cancer Society Research Scholar Grant (grant number RSG-23-1140821-01-ET, to Q.H.), a METAVIVOR Foundation Early Career Research Grant Award (to Q.H.) and V Foundation Scholar Grant (to Q.H.). The authors also thankfully acknowledge support from the Pancreas Cancer Task Force and the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center Research Collaborative, and the start-up package from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, USA

    Yu Chen, Tyler Wolter & Quanyin Hu

  2. Carbone Cancer Center, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, USA

    Yu Chen, Tyler Wolter & Quanyin Hu

  3. Wisconsin Center for NanoBioSystems, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, USA

    Yu Chen, Tyler Wolter & Quanyin Hu

  4. Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, USA

    Tyler Wolter

  5. State Key Laboratory of Advanced Drug Delivery and Release Systems, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

    Zhen Gu

  6. Department of General Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

    Zhen Gu

  7. Jinhua Institute of Zhejiang University, Jinhua, China

    Zhen Gu

  8. Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, Hangzhou, China

    Zhen Gu

  9. Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Zhen Gu

Authors
  1. Yu Chen
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Tyler Wolter
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Zhen Gu
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Quanyin Hu
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Y.C. and Q.H. researched data for the article. All authors wrote the article, contributed substantially to the discussion of the content, and reviewed and/or edited the manuscript before submission.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Zhen Gu or Quanyin Hu.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

Z.G. is the co-founder of µZen Inc., ZCapsule Inc. and Zenomics Inc. The other authors declare no competing interests.

Peer review

Peer review information

Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology thanks H. Goubran, B. Ho-Tin-Noé and J. Shi for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Chen, Y., Wolter, T., Gu, Z. et al. Engineering platelets as cancer therapeutics. Nat Rev Clin Oncol (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41571-026-01122-5

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Version of record:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41571-026-01122-5

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing: Cancer

Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Cancer newsletter — what matters in cancer research, free to your inbox weekly.

Get what matters in cancer research, free to your inbox weekly. Sign up for Nature Briefing: Cancer