Duke University Engineers Develop SonoPIN Technology to Breach Cancer Cell Defenses Using Ultrasound-Driven Microbubbles

New SonoPIN technology uses ultrasound and microbubbles to deliver large cancer-fighting PROTACs into cells, sparing 99% of healthy tissue.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 14, 2026, 11:31 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Duke University

Mechanical Solutions for Large-Molecule Therapeutic Delivery

Biological barriers have long prevented promising large-molecule drugs from reaching their intended targets inside diseased cells. According to researchers at Duke University, a new technique dubbed "Sonoporation-assisted Precise Intracellular Nanodelivery," or SonoPIN, has successfully bridged this gap. By utilizing a mechanical approach rather than biological engulfment, the platform allows relatively massive therapeutics to enter cells and initiate programmed cell death, offering a potential solution for delivering a wide variety of medications that were previously considered too large to be effective.

The Targeted Destruction of Undruggable Proteins

The SonoPIN system was specifically tested using a class of therapeutics called proteolysis-targeting chimeras, or PROTACs. According to the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, these drugs work by marking specific target proteins for destruction by the body's natural cellular waste system. In cancer cells, PROTACs target a protein known as BRD4, which is essential for the rapid reproduction of the disease. Once this protein is degraded, the cancer cells lose their ability to survive and are effectively forced into a state of self-destruction.

Precision Targeting Through Bio-Engineered Microbubbles

To ensure that the treatment only affects malignant tissue, the Duke team equipped prefabricated microbubbles with synthetic nucleic acid strands. According to the research, these strands are designed to bind exclusively to biochemical receptors found on cancer cell membranes. This specific binding mechanism ensures that the microbubbles ignore healthy cells, addressing a major hurdle in cancer treatment where off-target effects on essential proteins like BRD4 can cause significant harm to the patient's healthy biology.