NanoGhost is a drug-delivery technology that uses adult stem cells to transport medicine directly to the tumor site. The technology has already proven successful in treating pancreatic, lung, breast, prostate, and brain cancer in mice.
The platform is based on nano-vesicles, termed Nano-Ghosts (NGs), which are technologically reconstructed from the cell membranes of naturally targeted allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), after removing their cytoplasm and nuclei. The NGs' safety and targeting capabilities rely on their retention of the surface-associated mechanisms that govern MSCs' well-documented allogeneic tolerability and targeting of multiple inflamed and malignant tissues.
The NanoGhost technology was developed by Professor Marcel Machluf, the faculty dean of Biotechnology & Food Engineering at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. Professor Machluf developed the technology in her lab at the Technion and set up a start-up as a spin-off from the university to commercialize the technology.
Israel's Ministry of Science and Technology named NanoGhost as one of Israel's 60 most impactful developments. The NanoGhost technology has been patented in the United States and Europe, with additional patents pending in India and China.