Intracellular delivery
Drugs that can enter cells and take useful payloads with them are maturing, finds Andy Extance
Getting drugs into cells or across the blood–brain barrier is very difficult, but could help to treat important problems like strokes. Getting through cell’s lipid membranes has been attempted in various ways: cyclic peptides, ’supernegatively’ charged proteins or nanobodies. But will they help risk-averse pharma companies fight problems where there have been many failed clinical trials?