Nanoformulations for combination or cascade anticancer therapy
Lei Miao1, Shutao Guo2, C Michael Lin3
1Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics, and Center for Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Abstract:
Nanoparticle drug formulations have been extensively investigated, developed, and in some cases, approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Synergistic combinations of drugs having distinct tumor-inhibiting mechanisms and non-overlapping toxicity can circumvent the issue of treatment resistance and may be essential for effective anti-cancer therapy. At the same time, co-delivery of a combined regimen by a single nanocarrier presents a challenge due to differences in solubility, molecular weight, functional groups and encapsulation conditions between the two drugs. This review discusses cellular and microenvironment mechanisms behind treatment resistance and nanotechnology-based solutions for effective anti-cancer therapy. Co-loading or cascade delivery of multiple drugs using of polymeric nanoparticles, polymer-drug conjugates and lipid nanoparticles will be discussed along with lipid-coated drug nanoparticles developed by our lab and perspectives on combination therapy.
Insights
Nanoparticle drug delivery systems show promise for overcoming cancer treatment resistance by combining therapies. This review explores nanotechnology solutions for co-delivering multiple drugs effectively.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Nanotechnology
- Oncology
Background:
- Cancer treatment resistance is a major clinical challenge.
- Synergistic drug combinations with distinct mechanisms can overcome resistance.
- Co-delivery of multiple drugs via nanocarriers is complex due to drug property variations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review cellular and microenvironment mechanisms of cancer treatment resistance.
- To discuss nanotechnology-based strategies for effective anti-cancer combination therapy.
- To highlight advancements in co-loading and cascade delivery systems.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on nanoparticle drug formulations.
- Discussion of various nanocarrier types: polymeric nanoparticles, polymer-drug conjugates, lipid nanoparticles.
- Exploration of lipid-coated drug nanoparticles.
Main Results:
- Nanoparticle formulations are increasingly FDA-approved for drug delivery.
- Co-loading and cascade delivery strategies using nanocarriers are being developed.
- Novel lipid-coated drug nanoparticles offer potential for combination therapy.
Conclusions:
- Nanotechnology offers promising solutions to overcome cancer treatment resistance.
- Effective co-delivery of synergistic drug combinations is crucial for advanced cancer therapy.
- Further development of nanocarrier systems is essential for clinical translation.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Combination Therapies and Personalized Medicine
The combination of the drug acetazolamide and sulforaphane is a good example of combination therapy to treat cancer. The cells in the interior of a large tumor often die due to the hypoxic and...
Targeted Cancer Therapies
There are several types of targeted therapies against...
Cancer Therapies
However, cancer treatments can pose several challenges, as therapies used to kill cancer cells are generally also toxic to normal cells. Moreover, cancer cells mutate rapidly and can develop resistance to chemical agents or radiation therapy. Besides, all types of cancer cells may not respond to the same therapy. Some cancer cells respond to one...
Combined Effects of Drugs: Synergism
Such synergistic combinations...
Drugs that Stabilize Microtubules
Treatment Resistant Cancers


