Radioprotection of healthy tissue via nanoparticle-delivered mRNA encoding for a damage-suppressor protein found in tardigrades.

ABSTRACT: Patients undergoing radiation therapy experience debilitating side effects because of toxicity arising from radiation-induced DNA strand breaks in normal peritumoural cells. Here, inspired by the ability of tardigrades to resist extreme radiation through the expression of a damage-suppressor protein that binds to DNA and reduces strand breaks, we show that the local and transient expression of the protein can reduce radiation-induced DNA damage in oral and rectal epithelial tissues (which are commonly affected during radiotherapy for head-and-neck and prostate cancers, respectively). We used ionizable lipid nanoparticles supplemented with biodegradable cationic polymers to enhance the transfection efficiency and delivery of messenger RNA encoding the damage-suppressor protein into buccal a

SUBMITTER: Kirtane AR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12919043 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature