Targeting B Lymphocytes Using Protein‐Functionalized Graphene Oxide

International audience; The high surface area and the possibility of surface functionalization associated to a high biocompatibility endow graphene oxide with a great potential for biomedical applications. While this material has been widely investigated for cancer therapy, it has been scarcely used for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. Here, graphene oxide-lysozyme stable conjugates are prepared by a straightforward noncovalent functionalization approach. The complexes are able to selectively target a B lymphocyte cell model, which expresses a lysozyme-specific B cell receptor. The results suggest the use of graphene oxide as promising nanocarrier for the targeted therapy of B cell-mediated autoimmune diseases, allowing to overcome the severe inconveniences associated to available B cell targeted therapies.