What if an anticancer drug accumulated more in tumors the more a patient underwent treatment? Needless to say, therapeutic efficacy would inevitably increase dramatically. The research team of Professor Dongwon Lee in the Department of Polymer -Nano Science &Technology at Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) has developed a new-concept polymeric anticancer nanomedicine that brings this "ideal anticancer therapy" one step closer.

The team announced on the 23rd that it had developed a polymeric anticancer nanomedicine that enhances tumor-targeting ability through the treatment process itself, a "Self-amplified tumor targeting" polymeric anticancer nanomedicine.

The results were published in the international journal Theranostics (ranked in the top 3.3%). Recognized for the excellence and originality of the work, the paper was also selected as the cover article for the January 2026 issue.

Cancer cells maintain an abnormal redox balance compared with normal cells due to rapid growth and high metabolic activity. Exploiting this trait to induce oxidative stress can selectively kill cancer cells and has been noted as an anticancer strategy that can reduce side effects. However, oxidative stress–inducing agents generally have lower potency than conventional anticancer drugs, leaving tumor-selective delivery technology as the key to commercialization.

To overcome this limitation, Professor Lee's team combined an oxidative stress–inducing polymeric prodrug with the concept of tumor reprogramming. The system was designed to both increase stress in cancer cells to induce cell death during treatment and reprogram the tumor microenvironment so that the nanomedicine accumulates more in the tumor as treatment progresses. The research team demonstrated this self-amplified tumor-targeting effect and the resulting superior anticancer efficacy in animal studies.

In particular, this technology is regarded as an approach that can dramatically improve the low tumor-targeting capability, which has been cited as the major limitation of existing anticancer drugs. By increasing tumor-specific delivery efficiency while minimizing side effects, it is expected to be a new technology that can accelerate the practical commercialization of anticancer nanomedicines.

Professor Dongwon Lee stated, "We combined an oxidative stress–inducing polymeric prodrug with tumor reprogramming so that the treatment process itself enhances drug delivery efficiency. Animal studies confirmed that as treatment proceeded, the nanomedicine accumulated increasingly in tumors and the anticancer effect was strengthened."

Meanwhile, Professor Lee has continuously published internationally competitive results in the field of oxidative stress–controlled nanomedicines in leading journals. He is currently conducting follow-up studies to further expand therapeutic effects by combining the approach with radiotherapy and immunotherapy.

This research was carried out with support from the National Research Foundation of Korea (Basic Research Laboratory Program and Mid-Career Researcher Support Program).