MMP-Triggered PEG Shedding Nanoparticle

Stealth drug carriers coat themselves in polyethylene glycol (PEG) to survive the bloodstream, but that same shield keeps them from binding tumour cells once they arrive. One fix links the PEG to the particle through a peptide that tumour-associated matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-2/MMP-9) cleave, so the carrier only becomes "sticky" once it is already inside the tumour microenvironment. This simulator models that switch at the level of individual PEG-peptide linkers: enzyme molecules diffuse through the extracellular space, close encounters have a tunable chance of cleaving a linker, and once enough PEG has been shed a nanoparticle exposes a cell-penetrating surface, adheres to the membrane and is internalized — while particles that are still shielded simply bounce off. Adjust MMP concentration, linker susceptibility and starting PEG density to see how each one reshapes the population-average shedding curve and the resulting uptake efficiency.