Redox-responsive drug and bioactive delivery systems

Even the most advanced and effective drugs can have a downside: they often affect not only diseased cells but also healthy tissues, causing serious side effects. This is particularly challenging in the treatment of cancer, viral, and inflammatory diseases.

One of the most promising solutions is the use of nanoscale delivery systems that can accumulate in specific tissues and release their payload only in response to a particular signal. However, existing platforms either rely solely on the internal characteristics of target cells or require complex external physical stimuli, limiting the ability to control therapy precisely and safely.

Our research focuses on developing chemically controlled, redox-responsive delivery systems based on trithiocyanuric acid (TTCA), a biocompatible thiol-containing compound that can be synthesized using a simple and scalable process.

The nano- and microparticles we are developing can break down in environments with elevated intracellular glutathione levels, which are characteristic of many tumor and inflamed cells, enabling selective drug release. Activation can also be triggered by introducing a safe exogenous chemical stimulus — N-acetylcysteine (NAC) — allowing precise control over when therapy begins.

The platform can be adapted to deliver both small-molecule chemotherapeutic drugs and small RNAs, which require protection from degradation and controlled release inside cells. We are also exploring hybrid carriers incorporating plasmonic nanoparticles to combine diagnostic and therapeutic functions within a single platform.

Ultimately, this research aims to establish a new strategy for controlled drug delivery, combining the natural redox specificity of target cells with externally triggered chemical control — opening up new possibilities for more precise and personalized medicine.