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21 March 2025
Advanced Drug Delivery Method Offers a New Strategy to Overcome Multiple Myeloma Resistance
Our study shows that by packaging bortezomib in bone marrow-targeted liposomes, we can boost its effectiveness while reducing side effects
New targeted therapy delivers cancer drugs directly to the bone marrow, helping to fight resistant multiple myeloma.
Despite recent advances, treatment of multiple myeloma (MM) still faces two main obstacles: drug resistance and the protective environment of the bone marrow that shelters malignant plasma cells. In a new study, a multidisciplinary research team at Technion, led by Prof. Yuval Shaked of the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, and Prof. Avi Schroeder of the Wolfson Faculty of Chemical Engineering, have engineered a novel liposomal formulation (ATBL: AMD3100-targeted Bortezomib Liposomes) that improves delivery of bortezomib to the bone marrow, overcoming resistance in preclinical models and showing promising safety and specificity.
Smarter drug delivery with bone marrow targeting
The research team, led by the Doctoral student Rotem Menachem, designed tiny particles called liposomes that can carry the cancer drug bortezomib. To ensure these particles reach multiple myeloma cells, they added a special “address label” that recognizes a marker called CXCR4, which is often present in high amounts on these cancer cells. This way, the treatment is guided directly to the bone marrow, where myeloma cells hide and grow.
Beating resistant cancer cells
One of the main challenges in multiple myeloma treatment is that the disease often becomes resistant to existing drugs, including bortezomib. In laboratory experiments and in mouse models, the new liposomes proved far more effective than regular bortezomib at killing myeloma cells — even those that no longer responded to the standard drug. The treatment slowed tumor growth significantly, showing that it can outsmart cancer cells that have become harder to treat.
Effective and safe
Beyond fighting the cancer, safety is crucial. The targeted liposomes built up mainly in the bone marrow rather than spreading throughout the body, reducing the risk of harmful side effects. Tests also showed that, unlike regular bortezomib, the new treatment did not trigger unwanted immune reactions that could actually help tumors grow. This means the therapy not only works better, but also appears safer and gentler on the rest of the body.
The Research has been published in ACS Nano.
