Bioinspired artificial coacervates as advanced drug delivery systems: From intracellular liquid-liquid phase...

Inspired by intracellular liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), artificial coacervates have emerged as a promising drug delivery platform with significant potential for cancer therapy. Here, a brief review of artificial coacervates as emerging drug delivery systems for cancer treatment is presented, beginning with a concise introduction to the fundamentals of LLPS, elucidating the thermodynamic basis and molecular interactions that drive phase separation and coacervate formation. Subsequently, the critical factors controlling coacervate formation and properties are examined, including intrinsic molecular design and extrinsic environmental triggers, providing theoretical guidance for the rational design of functionalized coacervates. Building on this foundation, specific discussions of the feasibility of applying artificial coacervates as drug delivery systems for advanced anticancer therapy are provided. Then, recent advances in coacervate-based cancer therapies are summarized, highlighting modality-specific therapeutic applications in immunotherapy, chemotherapy, photothermal/photodynamictherapy, and biotherapy. Finally, the challenges and perspectives for further advancing artificial coacervates toward a more powerful and versatile anticancer drug delivery platform are discussed, particularly regarding opportunities in fundamental multidisciplinary research and clinical applications.