Encapsulation of individual mammalian cells as a cell-based drug delivery carrier for lung cancer treatment

Cell-based delivery holds great promise for advancing cell therapy, but it often faces challenges such as low cell survival rates and immunological rejection during cell injection and circulation. In this study, we develop an alternative approach aimed at engineering cell membranes to produce encapsulated individual mammalian (EIM) cells. The encapsulation shell was formed by catalyzing the reaction of H₂O₂ with hyaluronic acid-dopamine (HA-DA) on the cell surface using horseradish peroxidase (HRP) enzymes. This protective shell not only protects live mammalian cells from physical stress but also from biological assaults. The individual cell encapsulation system enables the loading of cells with chemotherapy drugs, enhancing their targeting ability towards tumor sites and resulting in over 5.1-fold cell enrichment at metastatic tumors, thereby improving tumor-killing efficacy and reducing metastasis. Overall, the individual cell encapsulation system demonstrates potential for targeted drug delivery to the lungs in the treatment of lung cancer by reducing side effects and enhancing treatment outcomes.