Pectin in precision medicine for targeted delivery, gene therapy, and cancer immunomodulation: A review

The demand for safe, sustainable, and multifunctional materials in biomedical technologies has led to a growing interest in plant-derived polysaccharides, particularly pectin. Pectin's biocompatibility, biodegradability, and ability to form ionically crossed hydrogels have expanded its relevance in therapeutic design. Recent advancements in pectin-based biomaterials focus on targeted drug delivery, cancer immunotherapy, wound healing, and tissue engineering. However, challenges remain in achieving controlled crosslinking, reproducible synthesis, and scalable production while maintaining batch-to-batch consistency and bioactivity. Chemical modifications and structural optimization strategies are crucial to enhance pectin's mechanical strength, stability, and biological functionality. Its natural anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and non-toxic properties make it an ideal material for site-specific and personalized treatment approaches. This Review highlights pectin's growing role as a next-generation biomaterial, bridging the gap between material science and personalized medicine. It identifies emerging trends such as pectin-based nanocomposites and immunomodulatory systems, but also highlights unresolved gaps in understanding the structure-function relationship of modified pectin, limited in vivo validation, and the need for standardized evaluation frameworks to translate lab-scale innovations into clinical reality.