Targeted pharmaceutical nanocarriers for cancer therapy and imaging

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A Comprehensive Procedure to Evaluate the In Vivo Performance of Cancer Nanomedicines
07:59

A Comprehensive Procedure to Evaluate the In Vivo Performance of Cancer Nanomedicines

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Vladimir P Torchilin1

  • 1Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Center for Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Nanomedicine, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA. v.torchilin@neu.edu

The AAPS Journal
|July 7, 2007
PubMed

Insights

This review summarizes targeted pharmaceutical nanocarriers for cancer therapy. It discusses liposomes, micelles, ligand targeting, stimuli-responsive carriers, and intracellular delivery for enhanced efficacy.

Area of Science:

  • Nanomedicine
  • Oncology
  • Drug Delivery

Background:

  • Pharmaceutical nanocarriers are crucial in nanomedicine for targeted drug delivery.
  • Tumors are a primary focus for nanocarrier research due to therapeutic potential.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review current knowledge on targeted pharmaceutical nanocarriers for cancer therapy and imaging.
  • To discuss challenges and strategies in nanocarrier design and application.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of targeted nanocarriers for cancer treatment.
  • Analysis of targeting strategies including specific ligands and stimuli-responsive systems.
  • Examination of intracellular targeting mechanisms and delivery enhancers.

Main Results:

  • Liposomes and polymeric micelles are key nanocarrier types.
  • Ligand-based and stimuli-responsive targeting enhance tumor specificity.
  • Intracellular targeting is vital for drug and DNA delivery, with cell-penetrating peptides showing promise.

Conclusions:

  • Targeted pharmaceutical nanocarriers offer significant potential for improved cancer therapy and imaging.
  • Optimizing targeting strategies and intracellular delivery is key to maximizing therapeutic outcomes.

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