Nanotechnology Applications in Hematological Malignancies
Summary
Nanotechnology offers transformative approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of blood cancers by enabling precise delivery of therapeutic agents, minimising systemic toxicity and harnessing immunomodulatory effects. Diverse nanoplatforms—including lipid-based carriers, polymeric constructs, inorganic nanoparticles and cell-membrane cloaked vesicles—have been engineered to overcome biological barriers and target malignant cells within the bone marrow and circulatory system. By exploiting passive accumulation through the enhanced permeability and retention effect or active targeting to cell-surface markers, these nanomaterials enhance drug solubility, control release kinetics and restore sensitivity in drug-resistant populations. Emerging strategies integrate multimodal imaging, triggered release mechanisms and vaccine-like immunotherapies to achieve sustained tumour control and durable immune memory. Collectively, developments in materials science, surface engineering and bio-inspired design underscore the global potential of nanomedicine to improve outcomes in leukaemias, lymphomas and other haematological disorders.
Research from Nature Portfolio
Recent studies have advanced membrane-coated liposomal systems that home to the bone marrow via the hyaluronic acid–CD44 axis. By cloaking liposomes in haematopoietic stem and progenitor cell membranes, investigators achieved selective binding to leukaemic cells through ICAM-1/integrin β2 interactions and demonstrated enhanced cytarabine delivery, inhibition of leukaemia stem cells and induction of apoptosis and differentiation. Complementary work introduced light-inducible polymeric retinoic acid nanoparticles capable of prolonged intracellular retention in leukaemic cells; upon blue-light activation, these particles rapidly release retinoic acid, promoting differentiation of acute myeloid leukaemia cells and modulating the surrounding tumour niche. In another approach, multifunctional gold nanoparticles were engineered to co-deliver an aptamer, chemotherapeutic agent and anti-microRNA oligonucleotide, thereby reversing multidrug resistance. This system downregulated miR-221 and P-glycoprotein, restored tumour suppressor expression and sensitised chemoresistant leukaemic cells to standard therapy, laying a foundation for overcoming refractory disease.
Nanotechnology Applications in Hematological Malignancies publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in nanotechnology applications in hematological malignancies across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Nanoparticle: A particle with dimensions in the 1–100 nm range used for therapeutic or diagnostic purposes.
Liposome: A spherical vesicle formed by one or more phospholipid bilayers employed for encapsulating drugs.
Biomimetic vesicle: A synthetic carrier cloaked in cell-derived membrane to mimic native cells and evade immune recognition.
Enhanced permeability and retention effect: The tendency of nanoscale materials to accumulate in tumour tissue due to leaky vasculature and poor lymphatic drainage.
Active targeting: Surface functionalisation of nanoparticles with ligands to bind specific cellular receptors.
Leukaemia stem cell: A subpopulation of malignant cells with self-renewal capacity responsible for disease propagation and relapse.
References
- Development and application of nanomaterials, nanotechnology and nanomedicine for treating hematological malignancies. Journal of Hematology & Oncology (2023).
- Hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell membrane-coated vesicles for bone marrow-targeted leukaemia drug delivery. Nature Communications (2024).
- Prolonged intracellular accumulation of light-inducible nanoparticles in leukemia cells allows their remote activation. Nature Communications (2017).
- Multifunctional Gold Nanoparticles Overcome MicroRNA Regulatory Network Mediated-Multidrug Resistant Leukemia. Scientific Reports (2019).
- Biomimetic doxorubicin/ginsenoside co-loading nanosystem for chemoimmunotherapy of acute myeloid leukemia. Journal of Nanobiotechnology (2022).
- Acute myeloid leukemia cell membrane-coated nanoparticles for cancer vaccination immunotherapy. Leukemia (2021).
- Nanoparticles—Emerging Potential for Managing Leukemia and Lymphoma. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology (2017).
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