ArticleNature nanotechnology2013
Transferrin-functionalized nanoparticles lose their targeting capabilities when a biomolecule corona adsorbs on the surface.
Article in Nature nanotechnology, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 583 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
583 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Meta-Analysis and Machine Learning Prediction of Protein Corona Composition across Nanoparticle Systems in Biological Media.ACS nano · 2025Pooled it
- Green-synthesized Nanoparticles as Emerging Antidepressant and Anxiolytic Candidates: A Critical Review of Preclinical Evidence and Translational Prospects.Journal of neuroimmune pharmacology : the official journal of the Society on NeuroImmune Pharmacology · 2026Review
- Beyond Nanosizing: Mechanism-Guided Design and Rational Selection of Polymeric and Lipid Nanocarriers for Translatable Drug Delivery.Daru : journal of Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences · 2026Review
- New approach methodologies in nanomedicine: bridging the gap betweenChemical Society reviews · 2026Review
- Receptor discovery for nanomaterial soft and hard coronas via a biosensor-based Fishing strategy.Nature protocols · 2026Review
- Chemical and Biological Determinants of PEG-Lipid Shedding From Therapeutic Nanoparticles.Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany) · 2026Review
- Quantitative single cell analysis of gold nanoparticle association across a mouse triple-negative breast cancer cell line and blood immune cell populations.Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry · 2026Article
- Detaching Photosensitive Nanoparticles from Cells Prevents Them from Remaining in Cells after Photoporation.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- Precision management of gastrointestinal tumor-associated osteoporosis driven by cutting-edge technologies: Current status, challenges, and future prospects.World journal of methodology · 2026Review
- Review
- The Translational Paradox of Cancer Nanomedicine: Biological, Pharmacokinetic, and Manufacturing Barriers to Clinical Success.Biology · 2026Review
- NIR-II conjugated polymers for tumor sonodynamic therapy.Discover nano · 2026Review
- Plasma Gelation as an Overlooked Determinant of Transfection Efficiency in Protein Corona-Coated Lipid Nanoparticles: Implications for In Vitro-In Vivo Translation.Advanced healthcare materials · 2026Article
- Layer by Layer Engineered Lipid-Based Nanocarriers for Therapeutic Delivery and Next-Generation Design.Pharmaceutics · 2026Review
- Review
- Lipid Nanoparticles for Gene Therapy: Unresolved Challenges in Manufacturing, Transdermal Delivery, Machine Learning, Endosomal Escape, and the Protein Corona.Pharmaceutics · 2026Review
- Functionalized Coacervates for Cancer Therapy: Advances and Prospects in Phase-Separation-Based Intelligent Drug Delivery.Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany) · 2026Review
- Lysosome self-sorting nanodegraders for hepatic clearance of pathogenic serum mediators.Nature nanotechnology · 2026Article
- Turning Unpredictable Biomolecule Adsorption to Controlled Corona Formation: Focus on Carbon Nanomaterials.Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) · 2026Review
- Review
523 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Nanoparticles have been proposed as carriers for drugs, genes and therapies to treat various diseases. Many strategies have been developed to target nanomaterials to specific or over-expressed receptors in diseased cells, and these typically involve functionalizing the surface of nanoparticles with proteins, antibodies or other biomolecules. Here, we show that the targeting ability of such functionalized nanoparticles may disappear when they are placed in a biological environment. Using transferrin-conjugated nanoparticles, we found that proteins in the media can shield transferrin from binding to both its targeted receptors on cells and soluble transferrin receptors. Although nanoparticles continue to enter cells, the targeting specificity of transferrin is lost. Our results suggest that when nanoparticles are placed in a complex biological environment, interaction with other proteins in the medium and the formation of a protein corona can 'screen' the targeting molecules on the surface of nanoparticles and cause loss of specificity in targeting.
Indexed as
Identifiers
23334168What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.