Targeting and monitoring ovarian cancer invasion with an RNAi and peptide delivery system

This study reports the development of a theranostic nanoparticle that delivers siRNA to silence the transcription factor SMARCE1 and monitors efficacy by reporting on downstream protease activity through urine detection. SMARCE1 promotes dissemination of ovarian cancer through regulating the expression of secreted proteases that degrade the ECM. Layer-by-layer nanoparticles enable integration of distinct chemical cargo such as nucleic acids directed to the cytoplasm and peptides directed to the tumor microenvironment on a single platform. The highly modular system provides the ability to monitor enzymatic profiles noninvasively, a strategy that could be employed to detect changes in protease activity and correlate them with disease progression and treatment response. Continued development of this platform will offer personalized treatment regimens in precision oncology.