Oncotelic and Sapu Bioscience Define Sub-15 nm Nanoparticles as New Frontier in Drug Delivery

Oncotelic Therapeutics (OTCQB: OTLC) and joint venture partner Sapu Bioscience have published a landmark review article defining sub-15 nm nanoparticles as an emerging frontier in drug delivery technology. The paper, titled "Sub-15 nm Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery: Emerging Frontiers and Therapeutic Potential," appears in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences (IJMS 2025, 26, 10842; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms262210842) and represents the first comprehensive examination of nanoparticles exclusively within the 5-15 nm range.

This breakthrough size regime establishes a new pharmacological paradigm that could fundamentally transform how therapeutic agents are delivered throughout the body. The review highlights how sub-15 nm systems achieve deeper tissue penetration, reduced organ accumulation, faster renal clearance, and enhanced diffusion across biological barriers, including the challenging blood-brain barrier. These properties address critical limitations that have hampered both small molecule drugs and larger nanocarriers in clinical applications.

The implications for pharmaceutical development are substantial. By overcoming delivery and toxicity constraints that have limited many promising therapeutic candidates, sub-15 nm nanoparticles could unlock new treatment possibilities for conditions where drug access has been problematic. The enhanced ability to cross the blood-brain barrier is particularly significant for neurological disorders and brain cancers, where effective drug delivery has remained a major clinical challenge.

The research team, led by Dr. Tapas De, Vuong Trieu, Scott Myers, Sanjive Qazi, Saran Saund, and Cynthia Lee, systematically documented how this specific size range offers unique advantages over both smaller molecular drugs and larger nanoparticle systems. While small molecules often suffer from rapid clearance and limited targeting, and larger nanoparticles face barriers to tissue penetration and potential toxicity from organ accumulation, the sub-15 nm particles appear to strike an optimal balance.

For patients, this technological advancement could translate to more effective treatments with fewer side effects across multiple disease areas. The reduced organ accumulation and faster clearance properties may lower the risk of long-term toxicity that has complicated some nanoparticle-based therapies. The deeper tissue penetration capability could improve outcomes in solid tumors and other conditions where drug access to target tissues has been limited.

The pharmaceutical industry may see accelerated development of previously challenging drug candidates as this delivery platform matures. Companies working in oncology, neurology, and rare diseases could particularly benefit from these advances. The full details of this comprehensive review are available through the published article at https://nnw.fm/NSO6l, providing researchers and developers with critical insights into this emerging technology.

This research represents a significant step forward in nanomedicine, potentially opening new therapeutic avenues for conditions that have proven resistant to conventional treatment approaches. As the field continues to develop, sub-15 nm nanoparticles may become a standard platform for next-generation drug delivery systems, offering improved efficacy and safety profiles across multiple therapeutic areas.