{"443791":{"#nid":"443791","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Deliver, but Not to the Liver","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe potential of a gene-silencing technique called RNA interference has long enticed biotechnology researchers. It\u2019s used routinely in the laboratory to shut down specific genes in cells. Still, the challenge of delivery has held back RNA-based drugs in treating human disease.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERNA is unstable and cumbersome, and just getting it into the body without having it break down is difficult. Once that hurdle is met, there is another: the vast majority of the drug is taken up by the liver. Many current RNA-based approaches turn this apparent bug into a strength, because they seek to treat liver diseases.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut what if you need to deliver RNA somewhere besides the liver?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBiomedical engineer Hanjoong Jo\u2019s lab at Emory\/Georgia Tech, working with Katherine Ferrara\u2019s group at UC Davis, has developed technology to broaden the liver-dominant properties of RNA-based drugs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe results were recently published in \u003Cem\u003EACS Nano\u003C\/em\u003E. The researchers show they can selectively target an anti-microRNA agent to inflamed blood vessels in mice while avoiding other tissues.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe have solved a major obstacle of using anti-miRNA as a therapeutic by being able to do a targeted delivery to only inflamed endothelial cells while all other tissues examined, including liver, lung, kidney, blood cells, spleen, etc. showed no detectable side-effects,\u201d Jo says.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearch by Jo\u2019s lab, published in 2013 in \u003Cem\u003ENature Communications\u003C\/em\u003E, had established that microRNA 712 was a master controller of inflammation in atherosclerosis.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the \u003Cem\u003ENature Communications\u003C\/em\u003E paper, an antisense molecule that counteracts miRNA 712 can stop the effects of high fat diet and disturbed blood flow in the atherosclerosis model. It reaches the desired cells: endothelial cells, which line blood vessels. But the anti-miRNA has significant effects on the liver and blood cells at the same time.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo restrict delivery of an antisense molecule countering miRNA 712 to endothelial cells, the authors built nanoparticles with several layers. Inside was the payload: the anti-miRNA, packaged with a positively charged lipid. Around that is a neutral coating, decorated with a peptide that targets the inflammatory molecule vascular cell adhesion molecule 1. The same peptide has previously been tested as a potential cardiovascular imaging tool.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe resulting multi-layer package was delivered selectively to only the inflamed endothelial cells, the authors show in the \u003Cem\u003EACS Nano\u003C\/em\u003E paper. In the atherosclerosis mouse model, it was possible to use five times less than the \u201cnaked\u201d untargeted version and still see beneficial effects.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe multi-layer packaging method could easily be adapted to other miRNAs, such as the human equivalent miR-205, in the context of treating atherosclerosis. However, using other targeting peptides, with the goal of reaching other tissues, would be a bigger stretch.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHanjoong Jo is the associate chair and John and Jan Portman Professor of Biomedical Engineering in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMedia Contacts:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:wrich@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E Communications Manager\u003Cbr \/\u003E Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003E Georgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:qeastma@emory.edu\u0022\u003EQuinn Eastman\u003C\/a\u003E \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E Research Communications\u003Cbr \/\u003E Woodruff Health Sciences Center\u003Cbr \/\u003E Emory University\u003C\/p\u003E\u0026nbsp;","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Multi-layer nanoparticle packaging overcomes obstacle of using anti-miRNA as a therapeutic."}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMulti-layer nanoparticle packaging overcomes obstacle of using anti-miRNA as a therapeutic.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Multi-layer nanoparticle packaging overcomes obstacle of using anti-miRNA as a therapeutic."}],"uid":"27513","created_gmt":"2015-09-02 10:05:20","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:19:29","author":"Walter Rich","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2015-09-02T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2015-09-02T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"443781":{"id":"443781","type":"image","title":"RNA nanoparticles","body":null,"created":"1449256205","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 19:10:05","changed":"1475895182","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:53:02","alt":"RNA nanoparticles","file":{"fid":"203136","name":"rnananoparticles.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/rnananoparticles_0.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/rnananoparticles_0.png","mime":"image\/png","size":221717,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/rnananoparticles_0.png?itok=FO97uKNt"}},"443261":{"id":"443261","type":"image","title":"Hanjoong Jo, Ph.D. John and Jan Portman professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University","body":null,"created":"1449256205","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 19:10:05","changed":"1475895182","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:53:02","alt":"Hanjoong Jo, Ph.D. John and Jan Portman professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University","file":{"fid":"203132","name":"jo-hanjoonglgheadshot_copy.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/jo-hanjoonglgheadshot_copy_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/jo-hanjoonglgheadshot_copy_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":159042,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/jo-hanjoonglgheadshot_copy_0.jpg?itok=A4On2RKf"}}},"media_ids":["443781","443261"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"249","name":"Biomedical Engineering"},{"id":"10287","name":"Hanjoong Jo"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:wrich@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECommunications Manager\u003Cbr \/\u003EWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["wrich@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}