Researchers report a nanoparticle therapy that delivers follistatin mRNA directly to lung tumors in mice. In the study, the treatment reduced tumor burden and also addressed cachexia, the severe muscle wasting that can accompany cancer.
The approach is notable because cancer care often focuses on the tumor alone, while cachexia remains a serious complication. By using nanoparticles to carry mRNA for follistatin, a protein involved in muscle regulation, the therapy aims to preserve muscle while fighting the disease in a single treatment.
The results are at the preclinical stage, and the team describes the approach as a potential future option rather than a ready-to-use treatment. Whether the dual effect translates to humans will require further investigation.