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Cancer targeted therapeutics: From molecules to drug delivery vehicles

Daxing Liu1, Debra T Auguste1

  • 1Department of Biomedical Engineering, The City College of New York, New York, NY 10031, United States.

Journal of Controlled Release : Official Journal of the Controlled Release Society
|September 7, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Chemotherapy faces challenges with drug resistance and side effects. This review explores methods to improve anti-cancer drug delivery, focusing on passive and active targeting strategies to enhance tumor accumulation and reduce off-target toxicity.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Nanomedicine
  • Drug Delivery

Background:

  • Chemotherapeutics are limited by drug resistance and severe side effects.
  • Off-target toxicity to healthy tissues is a major concern in chemotherapy.
  • Altering drug biodistribution is key to improving treatment efficacy and patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review strategies for enhancing the tumor-homing ability of systemically administered anti-cancer agents.
  • To discuss passive and active targeting methods for improved drug delivery.
  • To highlight the potential of these strategies in treating primary tumors and distant metastases.

Main Methods:

  • Review of passive targeting strategies based on particle characteristics (size, shape, surface chemistry).
  • Exploration of active targeting mechanisms utilizing chemical moieties or responsive elements for selective drug delivery.
  • Focus on systemic administration routes for anti-cancer agents.

Main Results:

  • Passive targeting enhances drug circulation time and tumor accumulation.
  • Active targeting enables selective binding to cancer cells or localized drug release.
  • Both strategies show promise for improving drug delivery to tumors and metastatic sites.

Conclusions:

  • Targeted drug delivery systems offer a promising approach to overcome chemotherapy limitations.
  • Optimizing biodistribution can significantly reduce side effects and combat drug resistance.
  • Further research into advanced targeting strategies is crucial for effective cancer treatment.
Keywords:
Active targetingIntegrated targetingPassive targetingPharmacologic targetingTargeted drug delivery

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