Smart Peptides Take Aim at Ovarian Cancer

Peptides are short chains of amino acids. They are the building blocks of proteins. They have been created to help deliver tiny molecules called small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). These siRNAs can turn off specific genes. The peptides help protect the siRNAs from breaking down and help them get inside cells. However, getting these peptides to target specific cells in the body has been a challenge. One way to make this happen is by using active targeting. This means attaching the peptides to receptors that are found on the surface of certain cells. This can help the peptides deliver their payload to the right cells and avoid affecting other cells. This is important for reducing side effects. A recent study focused on ovarian cancer cells. These cells often have a lot of a specific receptor called the luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone receptor (LHRHR). The goal was to create a smart peptide that could target this receptor. The peptide was designed to have two parts. One part could stick to the LHRHR receptor. The other part could help the peptide get inside the cell. This smart peptide was called LHRHR-DIV3W. Tests showed that the smart peptide could form tiny complexes that protected the siRNAs in the body. These complexes were taken up by ovarian cancer cells that had a lot of LHRHR receptors. The smart peptide was better at getting inside these cells than a peptide that only targeted the LHRHR receptor. This showed that both parts of the smart peptide were needed for it to work well. The smart peptide was also able to turn off a gene called CSNK2A1. This gene is often turned on in ovarian cancer cells. Turning it off could potentially help treat the cancer. This study showed that smart peptides with both targeting and membrane-disruptive abilities could be a good way to deliver nucleic acid therapies. This is a promising step forward in the fight against ovarian cancer.