Researchers at University College Dublin have discovered a previously unknown ‘transmission system’ that cells use to communicate coherent biological messages to each other, opening new possibilities for medicine and biotechnology.
These delivery systems also have “keys” to natural (endogenous) gateways, allowing them to reach biological locations currently inaccessible to traditional delivery medicine.
“Having access to these natural gateways could enable the delivery of functional biomolecular ‘toolkits’, such as extended modifying messages, directly to previously inaccessible areas within cells and across biological barriers, potentially greatly increasing the efficacy and, importantly, safety of RNA, gene and protein-based therapies,” said lead author Associate Professor Yang Yang, from UCD’s School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Sciences.
In a new study published in natural materialsA UCD-based team led by researchers from the university’s Center for Bionano Interactions (CBNI) has discovered that when certain nanoparticles enter cells, a small number of nanoparticles undergo unexpected changes and acquire a coating known as a ‘condensate corona’.
This coating, a dense, stable droplet, is made from the cell’s own proteins and RNA, molecules that control how the cell functions and regulates itself. The key to this discovery is that this coating is responsible for a small biological program.
Once these message-carrying droplets were released from the cells, the researchers were able to capture them in transit before they could deliver the messages to other cells, thanks to tiny magnets embedded inside.
The message remained intact during capture, allowing you to read and understand how it was transferred.
Once in a new cell, the coating is shed and it is important to escape from the cell’s degradative system with remarkable efficiency.
This allows the delivered proteins and RNA to access new target cells and integrate into their internal processes.
The researchers showed that these transferred molecules remained active, which could directly impact recipient cell function.
“We have long believed that there are natural carriers or gateways that allow specialized, very small particles to communicate within living organisms,” said lead author and CBNI director Professor Kenneth Dawson.
There is also growing evidence that when this messaging system goes awry, it is key to promoting tumor metastasis. But it was like looking for a needle in a haystack: there are so many types of microparticles in the body that it was difficult to find out how useful microparticles worked. ”
Kenneth Dawson, University College Dublin
“Now that we had a prototype, we were able to penetrate these communications and understand how biological information is shared between cells. From there, we started sending our own messages through the same system.
“Our findings provide a new blueprint for delivering strategic and therapeutically effective biological messages to currently inaccessible sites in the body. They represent a new medical concept that has the potential to reverse, rather than manage, currently intractable diseases.”
The research was led by CBNI Director Professor Kenneth Dawson and Associate Professor Yang Yang from UCD’s School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Sciences, in collaboration with other UCD-based researchers.
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Reference magazines:
Adumoh, L. others. (2026). Condensed corona-nanoparticle complexes transport functional biomolecules between cells. natural materials. DOI: 10.1038/s41563-026-02534-5. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41563-026-02534-5.
