A New Bioinspired Mucin-Based Nanoplatform for Transmucosal Drug Delivery and Medical Device Functionalization

Helena Villavicencio – PhD Student, University of Turin; Olga Valentina Garbero – PhD, University of Turin; Enrica Frasca – PhD Student, University of Turin; Cosmin Stefan Butnarasu – Researcher, University of Turin; Lorenzo Sardelli – Researcher, University of Turin; Narcisa Mandras – Professor, University of Turin; Giuliana Banche – Professor, University of Turin; Sonja Visentin – Professor, University of Turin

Introduction:

Versatile drug delivery platforms capable of adapting to multiple biological contexts are urgently needed in nanomedicine. Conventional nanocarriers are often application-specific, limiting versatility and applicability in different complex biological environments such as mucosae or infected tissues¹. Here, we introduce mucosomes², bioinspired glycosylated nanoparticles based on the main component of mucus (mucins) that act as bioactive interfaces, enabling both transmucosal drug delivery and medical device functionalization across distinct therapeutic contexts.