UC San Diego

Cell membrane coating technology is a technique that faithfully replicate the unique biomimicry and biointerfacing properties of natural cell membranes onto synthetic nanoparticulate cores, providing them with additional biological functionalities to create new therapeutic modalities. One major application of cell membrane coating technology is biodetoxification-based therapy, in which cell membrane-coated nanoparticles (CMNP), mimicking susceptible parent cells, are used to capture and retain biotoxins that would otherwise target parent cells. By serving as decoys to intercept the interactions of harmful molecules and infectious pathogens, CMNPs allow a function-driven and broad-spectrum biodetoxification strategy without the prior knowledge of the threat. These properties of CMNPs are especially valuable in designing novel and efficacious therapy to ameliorate “cytokine storms” in inflammatory diseases, which involves orchestra of multiple cytokines and complex signaling pathways, posing significant challenges for conventional treatment. This dissertation will focus on the development and engineering of a new generation of CMNPs, macrophage membrane-coated nanoparticle (MΦ-NP), for inflammation management via biodetoxification. By harnessing the versatile engineering flexibility, this MΦ-NP holds promising potential to become the next generation drug-free anti-inflammatory nanomedicine, which can be easily developed in a plethora of novel formulations to address other unmet clinical needs in inflammatory diseases.