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Nanomedicine for drug targeting: strategies beyond the enhanced permeability and retention effect

Hayley Nehoff1, Neha N Parayath1, Laura Domanovitch1

  • 1Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.

International Journal of Nanomedicine
|June 7, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Nanomedicine shows promise for cancer and inflammation, but faces specificity challenges. Improved designs are enhancing targeted delivery to diseased cells and tissues.

Area of Science:

  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Drug Delivery Systems
  • Nanotechnology

Background:

  • Nanomedicine offers potential for treating cancer and inflammatory diseases.
  • The enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect is a key factor in nanomedicine delivery.
  • Current limitations of the EPR effect include lack of specificity and premature drug release.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent advances in nanomedicine design for improved targeting.
  • To highlight emerging technologies that overcome EPR limitations.
  • To discuss the potential of enhanced nanomedicine for specific cell and tissue targeting.

Main Methods:

  • Review of current literature on nanomedicine design and targeting strategies.
  • Analysis of factors limiting the enhanced permeability and retention effect.
  • Case studies of novel nanomedicine platforms demonstrating improved specificity.

Main Results:

  • Nanomedicine designs are increasingly addressing specificity issues.
  • New strategies are emerging to enhance cellular and tissue targeting.
  • Advances show potential to overcome limitations of the EPR effect.

Conclusions:

  • Improved nanomedicine designs are crucial for effective cancer and inflammation therapy.
  • Targeted delivery to specific pathological cells and tissues is becoming more achievable.
  • Emerging nanotechnologies hold significant promise for precision nanomedicine.
Keywords:
cancer treatmentinflammationnanomedicinepermeability and retention effecttissue targeting

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