Carrier development for biopharmaceuticals: Bio-nanocapsules based on the early infection machinery of hepatitis B virus

Abstract

DDS nanocarriers are used to provide spatiotemporal control in the body of therapeutic agents. Specifically, they should have multi-stage delivery functions, such as （1）encapsulating therapeutic drugs, （2）escaping from capture by the immune system, （3）reaching the affected area （organ/cell）, and （4）releasing appropriate amount of the therapeutic drugs at the target site inside and outside the cell at appropriate timing. DDS nanocarriers that have been developed so far are roughly classified into chemical products and biologics, but the former does not have any of the above functions. On the other hand, there is a virus as the latter model having all the above functions. In this paper, we will outline the DDS nanocarrier “Bio-nanocapsule” that mimics the early infection machinery of hepatitis B virus that specifically infects the human liver.