Aptamer-Conjugated Liposome System for Targeting MUC1-Positive Cancer

This study aims to overcome the adverse effects of conventional cytotoxic chemotherapy on healthy organs by developing a target-specific novel approach utilizing doxorubicin (DOX)-encapsulated liposomes conjugated with the S1.6 aptamer, known for its high binding affinity to the overexpressed Mucin-1 (MUC1) protein in various cancer types. The S1.6 aptamer is selected as a targeting ligand by comparing the thermodynamic stability, docking score, confidence score, and binding affinity with other MUC1 targeting aptamers in silico. Nano-drop, Gel electrophoresis, and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) confirm the size, zeta potential, DOX encapsulation rate, stability, and aptamer conjugation of liposomes. Flow cytometry results validate MUC1 expression in MCF7 cells while not in MDA-MB-231 cells. Confocal Microscopy further demonstrates the cellular uptake of the lipo-apt complex. Taken together, our results of this approach hold promise as a potential strategy to mitigate the side effects of conventional chemotherapy by enhancing the specificity of drug delivery to cancer cells through aptamer-mediated liposomal encapsulation of chemotherapeutic agents. Further studies are warranted to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of this approach in vivo and its potential clinical applications in cancer treatment.