On a Mission to Deliver Drugs Efficiently

Congratulations, doctoral student Adi Anaki from Prof. Rachela Popovtzer’s lab, for winning the CHE’s Levzion scholarship for outstanding doctoral students. 27-year-old Anaki’s research focuses on developing tools for the efficient and targeted delivery of drugs to cancerous growths using natural biological nano-particles known as exosomes. “We are trying to inject drugs into these exosomes in an effective manner that doesn’t impair their natural ability to move from cell to cell, while also making sure not to hinder the drugs therapeutic capabilities,” she explains.

Another research goal is to gain a deeper understanding of the exosomes’ core capabilities. “The system we are currently developing can provide us with critical information about the biological distribution capabilities of exosomes, accumulation of the drug inside the tumor, and the drugs’ penetrative capabilities,” says Anaki. “With the principles of this system, we will be able to develop other systems based on exosomes and gold nano-particles, for treating other pathologies.”