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Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Manufacture and Drug Delivery Applications of Silk Nanoparticles
Published on: October 8, 2016
Stimulus-responsive macromolecules and nanoparticles for cancer drug delivery
Sarah R MacEwan1, Daniel J Callahan, Ashutosh Chilkoti
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, PO Box 90281, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
None:
Nanoparticles and macromolecular carriers have been widely used to increase the efficacy of chemotherapeutics, largely through passive accumulation provided by the enhanced permeability and retention effect. Stimulus-responsive peptide and polymer vehicles can further enhance the efficacy of antitumor therapeutics compared with the administration of free drug by three mechanisms: increasing the overall accumulation within solid tumors; providing a homogeneous spatial distribution in tumor tissues; and increasing the intracellular localization of anticancer therapeutics. This article highlights recent developments in 'smart' - stimulus-responsive - peptide, polymer and lipid drug carriers designed to enhance the localization and efficacy of therapeutic payloads as compared with free drug.
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