Nanocarriers are being developed to improve drug delivery and minimize off-target effects associated with anti-cancer drugs. However, the nanocarrier’s utility in drug delivery may be limited by their spherical shape. Elongated nanomaterials may be superior to their spherical counterparts due to increased target cell interactions and decreased immune cell uptake.
The current study used a naturally derived assembly containing components of the tobacco mosaic virus to overcome issues associated with synthetic systems. TMV was bioconjugated with a valine-citrulline monomethyl auristatin E pro-drug used in treating Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The resulting TMVvcMMAE complex entered NHL cancer cells where it was cleaved to release the active drug and killed the cancer cells.