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In vivo biomolecule corona and the transformation of a foe into an ally for nanomedicine

Nature Reviews Materials volume 9, pages 219–222 (2024)Cite this article

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Nanoparticles (NPs) administered in the human body will undergo rapid surface modification upon contact with biological fluids driven by their interfacial interaction with a diverse range of biomolecules. Such spontaneous self-assembly and adsorption of proteins and other biomolecules onto the NP surface constitute what is commonly known as the protein or biomolecule corona. This surface biotransformation of the NPs modulates their biological interactions and impact on physiological systems and can influence their overall pharmacological profile. Here, we comment on how the initially considered ‘nuisance’ of the in vivo corona formation can now be considered a nanoparticle engineering tool for biomedical use, such as in endogenous tissue targeting, personalized biomarker discovery and immunomodulation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. NanoOmics Lab, Centre for Nanotechnology in Medicine, Faculty of Biology, Medicine & Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK

    Marilena Hadjidemetriou

  2. Department of Radiology and Precision Health Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA

    Morteza Mahmoudi

  3. Nanomedicine Lab, Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2), CSIC and BIST, Campus UAB, Barcelona, Spain

    Kostas Kostarelos

  4. Centre for Nanotechnology in Medicine, Faculty of Biology, Medicine & Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK

    Kostas Kostarelos

  5. Institute of Neuroscience, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

    Kostas Kostarelos

  6. Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain

    Kostas Kostarelos

Authors
  1. Marilena Hadjidemetriou
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  2. Morteza Mahmoudi
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  3. Kostas Kostarelos
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Morteza Mahmoudi or Kostas Kostarelos.

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Competing interests

M.M. discloses that (i) he is a co-founder and director of the Academic Parity Movement, a non-profit organization dedicated to addressing academic discrimination, violence and incivility; (ii) he is a co-founder of Targets’ Tip; and (iii) he receives royalties/honoraria for his published books, plenary lectures and licensed patent. M.H. and K.K. are inventors of granted patents describing the use of nanoparticle corona.

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Hadjidemetriou, M., Mahmoudi, M. & Kostarelos, K. In vivo biomolecule corona and the transformation of a foe into an ally for nanomedicine. Nat Rev Mater 9, 219–222 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41578-024-00658-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41578-024-00658-1

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