Fig. 4. Ferritin in nanotherapeutics.

Ferritin 24-mer hollow sphere can be utilized in a trojan horse approach to deliver chemotherapeutics to tumors. Specific targeting of the ferritin protein can be achieved by genetically or chemically attaching peptide or peptide ligand molecules that bind to tumor specific receptors. Apart from peptides a variety of other molecules such as polyethylene glycol, fluorophores, and antibodies can be attached to ferritin surface. Furthermore, ferritin nanocage can also be loaded with imaging agents, iron oxide, and nucleic acids such as siRNA. Loading and modifying ferritin with these different molecules makes it useful in a wide variety of applications such as tumor imaging, photodynamic and immunotherapy, and tumor nano-vaccines. This presentation was created with the help of BioRender.