Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40666030›Full record

ArticleSmall science2025

Targeted siRNA Delivery Using Cetuximab-Conjugated Starch for Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-Driven Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Chen Benafsha, Limor Cohen, Leah Shimonov, Riki Goldbart, Tamar Traitel, Eliz Amar-Lewis, Ramesh Chintakunta, Manu Parasad, Uzi Hadad, Moshe Elkabets and 1 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Small science, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Chen BenafshaDepartment of Chemical Engineering Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Beer-Sheva 84105 Israel.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0005-2271-8376
Limor CohenHealth Professions Faculty of Health Sciences Nursing Department Recanati School for Community Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Beer-Sheva 84105 Israel.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0003-8302-4269
Leah ShimonovDepartment of Chemical Engineering Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Beer-Sheva 84105 Israel.
Riki GoldbartDepartment of Chemical Engineering Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Beer-Sheva 84105 Israel.
Tamar TraitelDepartment of Chemical Engineering Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Beer-Sheva 84105 Israel.
Eliz Amar-LewisIlse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science & Technology Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Beer-Sheva 84105 Israel.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9552-9780
Ramesh ChintakuntaDepartment of Chemical Engineering Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Beer-Sheva 84105 Israel.
Manu ParasadFaculty of Health Sciences The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Genetics Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Beer-Sheva 84105 Israel.
Uzi HadadIlse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science & Technology Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Beer-Sheva 84105 Israel.
Moshe ElkabetsFaculty of Health Sciences The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Genetics Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Beer-Sheva 84105 Israel.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3634-9098
Joseph KostDepartment of Chemical Engineering Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Beer-Sheva 84105 Israel.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7854-533X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Small interfering RNA (siRNA) therapy holds significant potential to disrupt oncogenic signaling pathways by targeting specific messenger RNA (mRNA) sequences. However, its clinical application is limited by challenges in developing effective delivery systems. In this study, starch, a biocompatible and biodegradable natural polysaccharide, is utilized as a carrier to enhance siRNA stability and delivery efficiency. By conjugating cetuximab to quaternized starch (Q-starch) complexed with the siRNA, an increased specificity is achieved toward cancer cells overexpressing the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). This research encompasses the synthesis, characterization, and biological evaluation of these targeted complexes, which demonstrate efficient cellular uptake and on-target knockdown in vitro. Furthermore, these complexes exhibit notable tumor-specific accumulation, significantly enhancing the active targeting of EGFR-overexpressing tumors in vivo. These findings highlight the potential of the complexes to accumulate in EGFR-expressing head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, advancing the development of starch-based delivery systems and paving the way for further diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

Indexed as

cetuximabEGFRgene silencingHNSCCquaternized starchtargeted small interfering RNA delivery

Identifiers

PMID40666030
PMCPMC12257885

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

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.