Thinking Outside the 'Block': Alternative Polymer Compositions for Micellar Drug Delivery

With a number of formulations currently in clinical trials, the interest in polymer micelles as drug carriers in unlikely to subside. Historically, linear diblock copolymers have been used as the building blocks for micelle preparation. Yet, recent advances in polymer chemistry have meant that a wider variety of polymer architectures and compositions have become available and been trialed for pharmaceutical applications. This mini-review aims to provide an overview of recent, exciting developments in triblock, graft and hyperbranched polymer chemistries that may change the way polymeric micelles drug formulations are prepared.