Recent CPP-based applications in medicine

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Cell-penetrating peptides (CPP) offer versatile tools for the field of drug delivery and development of macromolecular therapeutics. These tools have matured into applications that allow the use of proteins, nucleic acid, peptides, imaging agents, and low molecular weight drugs as therapeutic entities.

Areas covered: The progress of the field is discussed in the current review, with the examples from a recent couple of years, in the utilization of CPPs in medicine. Specific focus is on the research articles that include applications that have direct translational value. Progress with protein mimicry and its recent leap in medicine is discussed with special attention, but also achievements with nanoformulation and drug targeting is presented.

Expert opinion: The opinion section discusses some of the limitations and shortcomings, proposing the areas where more effort should be invested in order to increase the translational value of the current preclinical research.

KEYWORDS:

• Cell penetrating peptides
• CPP
• drug delivery
• nanotechnology
• protein mimicry
• peptidomimetics

Article highlights

• CPP applications as protein interaction mimics have demonstrated huge progress with an increasing number of clinical applications. Several therapeutic compounds are being tested in clinics as anticancer agents.

• There are a number of promising applications with CPP nanoformulations, but this field has not yet matured enough to reach the clinical stage. This, however, reflects the current situation in the whole nanotechnology field.

• The progress in nanotechnology research can be sped up with a better choice of methodological premises.

• Adopting techniques and approaches that allow the collection of more relevant data may help answering unresolved questions about cellular uptake, subcellular localization, and metabolism of drug delivery vectors.

• Adopting relevant methods and assuring clinical relevance will also increase the translational value of preclinical research.

This box summarizes key points contained in the article.

Declaration of interest

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Reviewer disclosures

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

The authors are supported by the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research [project IUT20-26] and by the EU [project 2014-2020.4.01.15-0013].