Genetically engineered cellular nanoparticles for biomedical applications

Summary

This review surveys genetic engineering as a way to expand the functions of nanoparticles made from cellular membranes. Such biomimetic particles can communicate with biological environments through proteins, lipids, and other features inherited from the source cell, often giving them capabilities that fully synthetic materials lack. Early approaches largely accepted the naturally occurring surface of a wild-type cell. The field has since begun altering the source genome so that selected proteins are displayed on the membrane before nanoparticle fabrication. The authors outline methods for expressing new surface proteins and then discuss biomedical uses of the resulting genetically modified cellular nanoparticles. The review’s central argument is that engineering the cell first provides a robust and flexible route to enhanced or entirely new particle functions, complementing post-fabrication chemical modification. This can turn the membrane from a passively inherited coating into a programmable biological interface for prevention and treatment. The article is an overview rather than a new experimental study, and its significance is a design framework linking gene-level changes to nanoscale performance. The abstract does not compare specific engineering methods, assess evidence quality, or resolve expression stability, manufacturing consistency, immunogenicity, safety, and regulatory challenges.