Biomimetic Nanoparticles for Targeted and Efficient Cancer Therapy: Progress, Challenges and Perspectives

Cancer remains a prominent cause of global mortality, with over 200 identified forms, and is projected to have a 25% increase in fatalities by 2030. Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial, but current therapy, which includes surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, hormonal therapy, targeted therapy, and radiotherapy, faces challenges such as non-targeted drug distribution, toxicity, and limited efficacy. In recent years, biomimetic nanoparticles have emerged as a promising nanocarrier with great potential that enables site-specific drug release, improves biocompatibility, prolongs circulation time, and minimizes immune responses. Among various biomimetic nanoparticles, nanoparticles coated with cell membranes, such as those from cancer cells, immune cells, and stem cells, have been shown to have great potential for cancer treatment. The cell membrane-coated nanoparticles, further functionalized with tumor-specific ligands, demonstrated potential in improving half-life, drug specificity, and overall therapeutic efficacy. In this comprehensive article, we have reviewed recent advances in cell membrane-coated biomimetic nanoparticle systems for cancer therapy. We discussed the biomimetic nanoparticles coated with membranes of red blood cells, cancer cells, platelet cells, macrophages, exosomes, hybrid cells, and protein/serum albumin for cancer therapy. This review also highlights challenges associated with large-scale production, maintaining structural integrity during drug loading, clinical and biosafety aspects, regulatory requirements, and the clinical translation of the cell membrane-coated biomimetic nanoparticle systems.