Development of Supramolecular Nanocarriers for Drug and Gene Delivery toward Cell Therapy

Cell therapy, nanobiotechnology- and nanobioengineering-based medicine that is aimed to control the cellular function and fate in a desirable manner, should be the key to success in the treatment of intractable diseases and tissue engineering. Thus, there is recently a strong impetus to the development of funcitonal nanodevices that promote cell differentiation at the desired site or deliver therapeutic agents such as drugs and genes to the targeted cells. We develop supramolecular “smart” nanocarriers including polymeric micelles, polymeric vesicles and multi-layered nanoparticles, through the self-assembly of artificial and natural materials, and carry out the nanocarrier-mediated cell therapy by facilitating the translation of basic achievements into clinical applications. Our goal is to produce revolutionary medical nanodevices that facilitate clinical cell therapy, thereby contributing to realization of the futuristic medical system.