Cancer ResearchNanoparticle Therapy Fights Lung Cancer and Muscle Wasting Simultaneously in Mice
Researchers at Oregon State University have developed lipid nanoparticles that deliver follistatin mRNA directly to lung tumors. In mouse studies, the approach reduced tumor burden by 2.5 times more than conventional liver-targeting nanoparticles, while also preventing cancer cachexia — the severe muscle and weight loss that kills many cancer patients. The nanoparticles exploit vitronectin, a blood protein that steers them toward integrin receptors overexpressed on lung tumor surfaces. Follistatin, produced inside the tumor after mRNA delivery, suppresses tumor growth and simultaneously preserves muscle and fat tissue. The dual-action therapy maintained food intake, body weight, and muscle mass without adverse effects, suggesting it could eventually address both lung cancer and its most dangerous metabolic complication in a single treatment.
