Biomolecular coronas provide the biological identity of nanosized materials
Open accessAbstract
The search for understanding the interactions of nanosized materials with living organisms is leading to the rapid development of key applications, including improved drug delivery by targeting nanoparticles, and resolution of the potential threat of nanotechnological devices to organisms and the environment. Unless they are specifically designed to avoid it, nanoparticles in contact with biological fluids are rapidly covered by a selected group of biomolecules to form a corona that interacts with biological systems. Here we review the basic concept of the nanoparticle corona and its structure and composition, and highlight how the properties of the corona may be linked to its biological impacts. We conclude with a critical assessment of the key problems that need to be resolved in the near future.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Upon systemic injection, nanoparticles often adsorb serum proteins to form a protein corona that alters pharmacokinetics, targeting specificity, and immunogenicity.
“Upon systemic injection, NPs often adsorb serum proteins to form a “protein corona” that alters pharmacokinetics, targeting specificity, and immunogenicity [183, 184].”
From Targeted Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery Across the Blood–Brain Barrier in Early and Late Stages of Alzheimer's Disease: A Review (2026) · cites this paper as [183]
The addition of targeting ligands increases the clearance of nanoparticles by the MPS.
“the addition of targeting ligands increased the clearance of nanoparticles by MPS”
From Cloaking nanoparticles with protein corona shield for targeted drug delivery. (2018) · cites this paper as [9]
Recent reports have revealed only a modest increase in tumor targeting when active targeting is applied.
“recent reports have revealed only a modest increase in tumor targeting when this approach is applied”
From Cloaking nanoparticles with protein corona shield for targeted drug delivery. (2018) · cites this paper as [9]
Cites
Cancer nanotechnology: opportunities and challenges
Ferrari, M. (2005) · Nature Reviews Cancer · doi:10.1038/nrc1566 · Cited by 4,558 · see citing works
Mercer, J., Schelhaas, M., & Helenius, A. (2010) · Annual Review of Biochemistry · doi:10.1146/annurev-biochem-060208-104626 · Cited by 1,057 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Cancer nanomedicine: progress, challenges and opportunities
Shi, J., Kantoff, P. W., Wooster, R., & Farokhzad, O. C. (2017) · Nature Reviews Cancer · doi:10.1038/nrc.2016.108 · Cited by 5,873 · see citing works
Non-viral vectors for gene-based therapy
Yin, H., Kanasty, R. L., Eltoukhy, A. A., Vegas, A. J., Dorkin, J. R., & Anderson, D. G. (2014) · Nature Reviews Genetics · doi:10.1038/nrg3763 · Cited by 3,123 · see citing works
Cheng, Q., Wei, T., Farbiak, L., Johnson, L. T., Dilliard, S. A., & Siegwart, D. J. (2020) · Nature Nanotechnology · doi:10.1038/s41565-020-0669-6 · Cited by 2,383 · see citing works
Interactions of microplastic debris throughout the marine ecosystem
Galloway, T. S., Cole, M., & Lewis, C. (2017) · Nature Ecology & Evolution · doi:10.1038/s41559-017-0116 · Cited by 1,955 · see citing works
Fluorescent Polymer Nanoparticles Based on Dyes: Seeking Brighter Tools for Bioimaging
Reisch, A., & Klymchenko, A. S. (2016) · Small · doi:10.1002/smll.201503396 · Cited by 634 · see citing works
mRNA vaccine delivery using lipid nanoparticles
Reichmuth, A. M., Oberli, M. A., Jaklenec, A., Langer, R., & Blankschtein, D. (2016) · Therapeutic Delivery · doi:10.4155/tde-2016-0006 · Cited by 624 · see citing works
A holistic approach to targeting disease with polymeric nanoparticles
Cheng, C. J., Tietjen, G. T., Saucier-Sawyer, J. K., & Saltzman, W. M. (2015) · Nature Reviews Drug Discovery · doi:10.1038/nrd4503 · Cited by 480 · see citing works
Wu, P., Lin, S., Cao, G., Wu, J., Jin, H., Wang, C., Wong, M. H., Yang, Z., & Cai, Z. (2022) · Journal of Hazardous Materials · doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.129361 · Cited by 428 · see citing works
Cloaking nanoparticles with protein corona shield for targeted drug delivery.
Oh, J. Y., Kim, H. S., Palanikumar, L., Go, E. M., Jana, B., Park, S. A., Kim, H. Y., Kim, K., Seo, J. K., Kwak, S. K., et al. (2018) · Nature communications · doi:10.1038/s41467-018-06979-4 · Cited by 409 · see citing works
Poly(2-oxazoline)s based biomaterials: a comprehensive and critical update
Lorson, T., Lübtow, M. M., Wegener, E., Haider, M. S., Borova, S., Nahm, D., Jordan, R., Sokolski-Papkov, M., Kabanov, A. V., & Luxenhofer, R. (2018) · Biomaterials · doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2018.05.022 · Cited by 391 · see citing works
Lipid nanoparticle technology for therapeutic gene regulation in the liver
Witzigmann, D., Kulkarni, J. A., Leung, J., Chen, S., Cullis, P. R., & van der Meel, R. (2020) · Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.addr.2020.06.026 · Cited by 376 · see citing works
Cheng, G., Li, W., Ha, L., Han, X., Hao, S., Wan, Y., Wang, Z., Dong, F., Zou, X., Mao, Y., et al. (2018) · Journal of the American Chemical Society · doi:10.1021/jacs.8b03584 · Cited by 371 · see citing works
Three decades of messenger RNA vaccine development
Verbeke, R., Lentacker, I., De Smedt, S. C., & Dewitte, H. (2019) · Nano Today · doi:10.1016/j.nantod.2019.100766 · Cited by 342 · see citing works
Barcoded nanoparticles for high throughput in vivo discovery of targeted therapeutics
Dahlman, J. E., Kauffman, K. J., Xing, Y., Shaw, T. E., Mir, F. F., Dlott, C. C., Langer, R., Anderson, D. G., & Wang, E. T. (2017) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1620874114 · Cited by 335 · see citing works
Going beyond the liver: progress and challenges of targeted delivery of siRNA therapeutics
Lorenzer, C., Dirin, M., Winkler, A.-M., Baumann, V., & Winkler, J. (2015) · Journal of Controlled Release · doi:10.1016/j.jconrel.2015.02.003 · Cited by 284 · see citing works
Semisch, A., Ohle, J., Witt, B., & Hartwig, A. (2014) · Particle and Fibre Toxicology · doi:10.1186/1743-8977-11-10 · Cited by 203 · see citing works
The viral protein corona directs viral pathogenesis and amyloid aggregation
Ezzat, K., Pernemalm, M., Pålsson, S., Roberts, T. C., Järver, P., Dondalska, A., Bestas, B., Sobkowiak, M. J., Levänen, B., Sköld, M., et al. (2019) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/s41467-019-10192-2 · Cited by 209 · see citing works
Chen, T., He, B., Tao, J., He, Y., Deng, H., Wang, X., & Zheng, Y. (2019) · Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.addr.2019.04.009 · Cited by 186 · see citing works
Ioannidis, J. P. A., Kim, B. Y. S., & Trounson, A. (2018) · Nature Biomedical Engineering · doi:10.1038/s41551-018-0314-y · Cited by 175 · see citing works
Padín-González, E., Lancaster, P., Bottini, M., Gasco, P., Tran, L., Fadeel, B., Wilkins, T., & Monopoli, M. P. (2022) · Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology · doi:10.3389/fbioe.2022.882363 · Cited by 166 · see citing works
Self-citationPaunovska, K., Gil, C. J., Lokugamage, M. P., Sago, C. D., Sato, M., Lando, G. N., Gamboa Castro, M., Bryksin, A. V., & Dahlman, J. E. (2018) · ACS Nano · doi:10.1021/acsnano.8b03640 · Cited by 160 · see citing works
Unveiling the <i>in Vivo</i> Protein Corona of Circulating Leukocyte-like Carriers
Corbo, C., Molinaro, R., Taraballi, F., Toledano Furman, N. E., Hartman, K. A., Sherman, M. B., De Rosa, E., Kirui, D. K., Salvatore, F., & Tasciotti, E. (2017) · ACS Nano · doi:10.1021/acsnano.7b00376 · Cited by 155 · see citing works
Cryptic Epitopes of Albumin Determine Mononuclear Phagocyte System Clearance of Nanomaterials
Mortimer, G. M., Butcher, N. J., Musumeci, A. W., Deng, Z. J., Martin, D. J., & Minchin, R. F. (2014) · ACS Nano · doi:10.1021/nn405830g · Cited by 154 · see citing works
Current developments in antimicrobial surface coatings for biomedical applications
Swartjes, J. J. T. M., Sharma, P. K., Kooten, T. G., Mei, H. C., Mahmoudi, M., Busscher, H. J., & Rochford, E. T. J. (2015) · Current Medicinal Chemistry · doi:10.2174/0929867321666140916121355 · Cited by 149 · see citing works
Nanoparticle Transport Across the Placental Barrier: Pushing the Field Forward!
Muoth, C., Aengenheister, L., Kucki, M., Wick, P., & Buerki-Thurnherr, T. (2016) · Nanomedicine · doi:10.2217/nnm-2015-0012 · Cited by 146 · see citing works
Verbeke, R., Lentacker, I., Wayteck, L., Breckpot, K., Van Bockstal, M., Descamps, B., Vanhove, C., De Smedt, S. C., & Dewitte, H. (2017) · Journal of Controlled Release · doi:10.1016/j.jconrel.2017.09.041 · Cited by 132 · see citing works
Stealth Effect of Biomolecular Corona on Nanoparticle Uptake by Immune Cells
Caracciolo, G., Palchetti, S., Colapicchioni, V., Digiacomo, L., Pozzi, D., Capriotti, A. L., La Barbera, G., & Laganà, A. (2015) · Langmuir · doi:10.1021/acs.langmuir.5b02158 · Cited by 131 · see citing works
Ho, Y. T., Kamm, R. D., & Kah, J. C. Y. (2018) · Nanoscale · doi:10.1039/c8nr02393j · Cited by 102 · see citing works
Khalin, I., Heimburger, D., Melnychuk, N., Collot, M., Groschup, B., Hellal, F., Reisch, A., Plesnila, N., & Klymchenko, A. S. (2020) · ACS Nano · doi:10.1021/acsnano.0c01505 · Cited by 82 · see citing works
Beyond the protein corona—Lipids matter for biological response of nanocarriers
Müller, J., Prozeller, D., Ghazaryan, A., Kokkinopoulou, M., Mailänder, V., Morsbach, S., & Landfester, K. (2018) · Acta Biomaterialia · doi:10.1016/j.actbio.2018.02.036 · Cited by 79 · see citing works
Huang, K., Boerhan, R., Liu, C., & Jiang, G. (2017) · Molecular Pharmaceutics · doi:10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.7b00726 · Cited by 74 · see citing works
Sakai-Kato, K., Nishiyama, N., Kozaki, M., Nakanishi, T., Matsuda, Y., Hirano, M., Hanada, H., Hisada, S., Onodera, H., Harashima, H., et al. (2015) · Journal of Controlled Release · doi:10.1016/j.jconrel.2015.05.259 · Cited by 75 · see citing works
Kochman, U., Sitka, H., Kuźniar, J., Czaja, M., Kozubek, P., Beszłej, J. A., & Leszek, J. (2026) · Molecular Neurobiology · doi:10.1007/s12035-025-05417-z · Cited by 60 · see citing works
The Significance and Insignificance of Carbon Nanotube-Induced Inflammation
Boyles, M., Stoehr, L., Schlinkert, P., Himly, M., & Duschl, A. (2014) · Fibers · doi:10.3390/fib2010045 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
The role of the protein Corona in fiber structure-activity relationships
Kucki, M., Kaiser, J.-P., Clift, M., Rothen-Rutishauser, B., Petri-Fink, A., & Wick, P. (2014) · Fibers · doi:10.3390/fib2030187 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
High-density Lipoprotein Inspired Lipid Nanoparticles for Systemic RNA delivery to the Brain
Xu, Z., Shalin, K., Do, V., Yan, A., & Gao, J. (2026) · doi:10.64898/2026.05.29.728695
- Authors
- Monopoli, M. P., Åberg, C., Salvati, A., & Dawson, K. A.
- Affiliations
- University College Dublin (IE)
- Corresponding author
- Dawson, Kenneth A.
- Venue
- Nature Nanotechnology
- Published
- 2012-12
- Volume
- 7
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- 779-786
- ISSN
- 1748-3387 (ISSN-L)
- 1748-3395
- OpenAlex
- W2110634891
- Cited by
- 3,017
- References
- 2
- Citations by year
- 2026: 413 · 2025: 175 · 2024: 142 · 2023: 164 · 2022: 233 · 2021: 228 · 2020: 221 · 2019: 214 · 2018: 227 · 2017: 219 · 2016: 209 · 2015: 234 · 2014: 219 · 2013: 117
- FWCI
- 9.47
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- hdl.handle.net
- Licence
- cc-by-nc-nd
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Nature Nanotechnology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Research Repository UCD (University College Dublin) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Arrow@dit (Dublin Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Funders
- European Commission (266737)
- Science Foundation Ireland
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Biomaterials › Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Materials Chemistry › Nanoparticles: synthesis and applications
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Nanotechnology research and applications
- Keywords
- nanoparticle corona, biomolecular adsorption, nanoparticle-biomolecule interactions, nanoparticle biocompatibility, targeted drug delivery, nanoparticle toxicity, environmental risk of nanomaterials, nanoparticle surface modification
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Biocompatible Materials, Body Fluids, Humans, Kinetics, Particle Size, Proteins, Drug Delivery Systems, Nanotechnology, Nanoparticles
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review