The special agent was given an array of tools and gadgets by Q, the quartermaster of James Bond. Researchers from Japan have demonstrated the same ability to equip worms with protective factors.
The researchers from Osaka University found that tiny free-range worms can be coated in hydrogels that can be further modified to carry functional cargo. The study was published in a journal.
Nematodes are free- living worms that live in the soil or other environmental niches and can invade the human body. A nematode that lives in marine environments but can colonize humans when it's eaten has shown an interest in cancer cells.
Wildan Mubarok is the first author on the study. We wondered if it could be used to deliver anti-cancer treatments to cancer cells.
To investigate this possibility, the researchers first developed a system for applying hydrogel sheaths to nematodes by dipping them in a series of solutions containing chemicals that bind together to create a gel like layer all over their surface. The process takes about 20 minutes to complete.
The results were very clear. The sheaths were flexible and didn't interfere with the worms' ability to find attractive smells and chemical signals.
The worms were protected from hydrogen peroxide and ultraviolet light when the sheaths were loaded. The sheaths could be loaded with anti-cancer agents that could be delivered to kill cancer cells in a petri dish.
According to Mubarok, the findings suggest that Nematodes could be used to deliver functional cargo to a range of specific targets in the future. The worm-based delivery system holds promise not only for delivering anti-cancer drugs to tumor cells in patients, but also for other uses such as delivering beneficialbacteria to plant roots.
More information: Wildan Mubarok et al, Nematode surface functionalization with hydrogel sheaths tailored in situ, Materials Today Bio (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2022.100328
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