The usual job of the blood cells known as platelets is stopping bleeding. They rush to sites of vascular injury and signal other platelets to join them in forming blood clots. But circulating tumor cells and bacterial invaders can hijack platelets to help them evade the body’s immune system. These other cells bind to proteins on the surfaces of the blood cells. Once the cells hitch a ride with the platelets, they attract less attention from the immune system. This may speed the spread of cancer. Platelets’ abilities to bind cells related to disease and evade immune responses have encouraged researchers to put platelets to work for a different use—drug delivery. Multiple research teams have recently shown that they can use membranes from platelets isolated from whole blood of humans and other species to disguise and target drug-containing silica or polymer particles. These platelet-mimicking particles could become a new type
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