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Published on: February 8, 2017
Receptor-targeted drug delivery: current perspective and challenges.
Imran Vhora1, Sushilkumar Patil, Priyanka Bhatt
1Pharmacy Department, Faculty of Technology & Engineering, The M. S. University of Baroda, Vadodara-390001, Gujarat, India.
Developing targeted drug delivery systems faces challenges in understanding receptor expression, ligand choice, and nanocarrier limitations. Overcoming these hurdles is key for efficient clinical applications of receptor-targeted therapies.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Nanotechnology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Receptor-targeted drug delivery aims for active targeting but faces limited clinical translation.
- Challenges exist in understanding receptor expression, accessibility, and identifying novel targets.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the multifaceted challenges in developing receptor-targeted drug delivery systems.
- To explore strategies for overcoming these hurdles for improved therapeutic efficacy.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of current research on receptor-targeted drug delivery.
- Analysis of challenges related to receptor identification, ligand conjugation, and nanocarrier design.
Main Results:
- Significant hurdles include insufficient knowledge of differential receptor expression and accessibility.
- Ligand-related issues encompass selection, conjugation chemistry, and drug release mechanisms.
- Nanocarrier systems, despite advantages, present their own set of development challenges.
Conclusions:
- Addressing receptor, ligand, and nanocarrier challenges is crucial for advancing targeted drug delivery.
- Developing efficient and clinically viable targeted drug delivery systems requires overcoming these identified obstacles.
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