UCF's "Smart Bubbles" Could Treat Cancer and Heal Hearts

Imagine a delivery system 500 times thinner than a human hair that could kill cancer cells and heal damaged hearts at the same time.

That's exactly what University of Central Florida researcher Dinender Singla has created. His patent-pending technology turns tiny cellular bubbles called exosomes into precision-guided vehicles that deliver drugs exactly where the body needs them.

"I call these smart tiny bubbles," says Singla, who heads the College of Medicine's Division of Metabolic and Cardiovascular Sciences. "Millions of people have heart disease, and they take multiple drugs in extremely high doses. But we have no way to be certain these drugs are getting to where they need to go."

The breakthrough addresses a cruel irony in cancer treatment. Chemotherapy and chest radiation kill cancer cells but often damage the heart through inflammatory factors. Singla's technology solves both problems at once.

His team encapsulates anti-inflammatory treatments in exosomes and coats them with cell-specific markers that act like GPS coordinates. The bubbles deliver drugs directly to damaged heart tissue. They also developed a version that carries cancer-killing drugs straight to tumors.

In lab tests on triple-negative breast cancer (the deadliest form, with a 78% five-year survival rate), the therapy killed cancer cells at much lower doses than chemotherapy requires. Meanwhile, it protected the heart from treatment damage.

"These therapies can work hand-in-hand," Singla said. "They can treat cancer and protect the heart."

The Ripple Effect

Orlando investor and UCF donor Chakri Toleti saw life-changing potential in Singla's work. After losing his father to cancer, Toleti has dedicated his healthcare technology career to innovations that reduce human suffering.

Through his innovation fund TCapital, Toleti partnered with Singla to form Exomic, a company that will fund clinical trials and bring the therapy to patients. The collaboration represents exactly what UCF's Office of Research aims to achieve: university innovation meeting private investment to create real-world impact.

"Dr. Singla's work represents a fundamental shift in how we think about treatment and healing itself," Toleti says.

The partnership is already creating opportunities beyond the lab. Graduate student Jonatas De Mendonca Rolando earned his Ph.D. working on the project and stayed at UCF as a post-doctoral researcher. "It's been amazing to be part of a high-tech project and see leadership in science," he says.

Singla has published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers and has received continuous funding from the American Heart Association and National Institutes of Health since 2004. Now, with private backing accelerating the path to FDA clinical trials, his two-decade pursuit of targeted therapies could soon help patients who need both cancer treatment and heart protection.

The next chapter begins with manufacturing the therapy for human trials.