Co-Delivery Systems for Cancer Therapy

Co-delivery systems have emerged as a transformative approach in cancer therapy by combining multiple therapeutic modalities—most commonly chemotherapeutic drugs and genetic materials—within a single nanoscale platform. These systems aim to enhance antitumour efficacy through synergistic mechanisms, overcome multidrug resistance and reduce off-target toxicity. By leveraging stimuli-responsive carriers that react to tumour-specific triggers such as acidic pH, redox gradients or specific enzymes, co-delivery vehicles can achieve precise release of payloads within the tumour microenvironment. The diversity of carrier designs spans polymeric micelles, lipid-based vesicles, inorganic frameworks and hybrid constructs, each offering unique advantages in terms of circulation time, payload capacity and surface functionalisation. Such systems hold promise for personalised treatment regimens that address the heterogeneity of malignancies, facilitate combination regimens in a single administration and shorten the path to clinical translation.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent foundational studies have showcased polymer micelle platforms that co-encapsulate the chemotherapy agent doxorubicin and siRNA against P-glycoprotein to surmount drug efflux mechanisms. These systems exhibit pH-responsive dissociation in acidic tumour environments, yielding enhanced intracellular release and synergistic tumour inhibition in vivo. Another significant advance involves PLGA-based nanoparticles engineered to carry dual siRNAs targeting MDR1 and BCL2 genes, thereby simultaneously curbing drug efflux and anti-apoptotic pathways in resistant ovarian cancer models. The coordinated gene silencing and chemotherapy delivery markedly improve chemosensitivity and reduce tumour burden, illustrating the potential of polymeric co-delivery systems to address multifactorial resistance in clinical settings.

Co-Delivery Systems for Cancer Therapy publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in co-delivery systems for cancer therapy across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Co-delivery system: A platform designed to transport two or more therapeutic agents simultaneously to disease sites.

Nanocarrier: A nanoscale vehicle, such as polymeric micelles, liposomes or inorganic frameworks, used to deliver drugs and genetic material.

siRNA: Short interfering RNA molecules that mediate sequence-specific gene silencing through the RNA interference pathway.

Metal–organic framework (MOF): Porous crystalline materials composed of metal nodes linked by organic ligands, used as drug delivery matrices.

Liposome: A spherical vesicle composed of lipid bilayers, employed as biocompatible carriers for both hydrophilic and hydrophobic payloads.

References

1. Advanced Ca-doped MOF nanocarriers for Co-delivery of Doxorubicin/pCRISPR. Nano Materials Science (2024).
2. Targeted anti-cancer therapy: Co-delivery of VEGF siRNA and Phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) via cRGD-modified lipid nanoparticles for enhanced anti-angiogenic efficacy. Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (2024).
3. Novel polymer micelle mediated co-delivery of doxorubicin and P-glycoprotein siRNA for reversal of multidrug resistance and synergistic tumor therapy. Scientific Reports (2016).
4. PLGA nanoparticles co-delivering MDR1 and BCL2 siRNA for overcoming resistance of paclitaxel and cisplatin in recurrent or advanced ovarian cancer. Scientific Reports (2018).