Abstract
Extending on recent progress in control of matter at the nanoscale, functional nanoparticles and drug nanocarriers are being actively developed with the promise of improved delivery of therapeutic agents. Nanotechnology-enabled drug delivery approaches usually aim at reducing the systemic distribution and associated side-effects typically observed with conventional chemotherapeutic molecules as well as increasing the therapeutic index of the active agents. The enhanced permeation and retention effect has been exploited with notable success to passively deliver nanostructured drug carriers and therapeutic nanoparticles in vivo. Strategies aimed at further enhancing the nanocarriers accumulation within tumor tissues are under intensive investigation and could enable, in a not too distant future, the realization of the long sought after goal of chemotherapy without – or with reduced - side-effects. In particular, immunotargeted approaches are widely predicted to offer much greater specificity towards the target cells and tissues. Advancement in molecular biology has indeed made a wealth of information available in biological processes and application of this new knowledge to nanostructured agents, has also generated unprecedented hope of novel molecular diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. Focusing on oncological applications, this review aims to discuss the recent developments in immunotargeting of functional nanoparticles and drug nanocarriers and the integration of these systems into clinically relevant therapeutic applications.
Keywords: Nanocarriers, drug delivery, targeting, immunotargeting, cancer, therapy
Current Drug Delivery
Title: Drug Nanocarriers and Functional Nanoparticles: Applications in Cancer Therapy
Volume: 6 Issue: 4
Author(s): Benjamin Thierry
Affiliation:
Keywords: Nanocarriers, drug delivery, targeting, immunotargeting, cancer, therapy
Abstract: Extending on recent progress in control of matter at the nanoscale, functional nanoparticles and drug nanocarriers are being actively developed with the promise of improved delivery of therapeutic agents. Nanotechnology-enabled drug delivery approaches usually aim at reducing the systemic distribution and associated side-effects typically observed with conventional chemotherapeutic molecules as well as increasing the therapeutic index of the active agents. The enhanced permeation and retention effect has been exploited with notable success to passively deliver nanostructured drug carriers and therapeutic nanoparticles in vivo. Strategies aimed at further enhancing the nanocarriers accumulation within tumor tissues are under intensive investigation and could enable, in a not too distant future, the realization of the long sought after goal of chemotherapy without – or with reduced - side-effects. In particular, immunotargeted approaches are widely predicted to offer much greater specificity towards the target cells and tissues. Advancement in molecular biology has indeed made a wealth of information available in biological processes and application of this new knowledge to nanostructured agents, has also generated unprecedented hope of novel molecular diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. Focusing on oncological applications, this review aims to discuss the recent developments in immunotargeting of functional nanoparticles and drug nanocarriers and the integration of these systems into clinically relevant therapeutic applications.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Thierry Benjamin, Drug Nanocarriers and Functional Nanoparticles: Applications in Cancer Therapy, Current Drug Delivery 2009; 6 (4) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/156720109789000474
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/156720109789000474 |
Print ISSN 1567-2018 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1875-5704 |
Call for Papers in Thematic Issues
Advances of natural products, bio-actives and novel drug delivery system against emerging viral infections
Due to the increasing prevalence of viral infections and the ability of these human pathogens to develop resistance to current treatment strategies, there is a great need to find and develop new compounds to combat them. These molecules must have low toxicity, specific activity and high bioavailability. The most suitable ...read more
Electrospun Fibers as Drug Delivery Systems
In recent years, electrospun fibers have attracted considerable attention as potential platforms for drug delivery due to their distinctive properties and adaptability. These fibers feature a notable surface area-to-volume ratio and can be intentionally designed with high porosity, facilitating an increased capacity for drug loading and rendering them suitable for ...read more
Emerging Nanotherapeutics for Mitigation of Neurodegenerative Disorders
Conditions affecting the central nervous system (CNS) present a significant hurdle due to limited access of both treatments and diagnostic tools for the brain. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) acts as a barrier, restricting the passage of molecules from the bloodstream into the brain. The most formidable challenge facing scientists is ...read more
Nanotechnology Based Chemotherapy for the treatment of Head & Neck Cancer
The escalating recurrence rates observed in Head and Neck cancer, particularly within the chemo-therapeutically treated cohort (50-60%), can be attributed to the non-selective nature of current anticancer drug delivery modalities. In this context, nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems emerge as a promising avenue for achieving precise localization of therapeutic agents to ...read more
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
Related Articles
-
Feud or Friend? The Role of the miR-17-92 Cluster in Tumorigenesis
Current Genomics MicroRNA in the Pathogenesis and Prognosis of Esophageal Cancer
Current Pharmaceutical Design Strategies for Preparing Different Types of Lipid Polymer Hybrid Nanoparticles in Targeted Tumor Therapy
Current Pharmaceutical Design Recent Advances on Radionuclide Labeled Hypoxia-Imaging Agents
Current Pharmaceutical Design TGF-β in Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition and Metastasis of Liver Carcinoma
Current Pharmaceutical Design Of Humans and Hamsters: The Hamster Buccal Pouch Carcinogenesis Model as a Paradigm for Oral Oncogenesis and Chemoprevention
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry The Role of the Adenosinergic Pathway in Immunosuppression Mediated by Human Regulatory T Cells (Treg)
Current Medicinal Chemistry Drug Delivery Systems for Photodynamic Therapy
Recent Patents on Drug Delivery & Formulation Oral Precancerous Lesions Show Increased Levels of Glutathione Compared to Cancerous Tissue
Current Nutrition & Food Science Mitosis-Targeting Natural Products for Cancer Prevention and Therapy
Current Drug Targets Investigating the Molecular Basis of Drug Action and Response: Chemocentric Genomics and Proteomics
Current Drug Targets An Intracellular Tripeptide Arg-His-Trp of Serum Origin Detected in MCF-7 Cells is a Possible Agonist to β2 Adrenoceptor
Protein & Peptide Letters Cancer Stem Cells: How can we Target them?
Current Medicinal Chemistry Proteomic and Metallomic Strategies for Understanding the Mode of Action of Anticancer Metallodrugs
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Nanocarrier-based Drug Delivery System for Cancer Therapeutics: A Review of the Last Decade
Current Medicinal Chemistry Technologies for Translational Imaging Using Generators in Oncology
Recent Patents on Anti-Cancer Drug Discovery Opioid Growth Factor and its Derivatives as Potential Non-toxic Multifunctional Anticancer and Analgesic Compounds
Current Medicinal Chemistry Pharmacokinetics of CNT-based Drug Delivery Systems
Current Drug Metabolism Emerging Role of Mucins in Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition
Current Cancer Drug Targets Selenium Derivatives as Cancer Preventive Agents
Current Medicinal Chemistry - Anti-Cancer Agents