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Updated: Aug 5, 2026
07:32
Preparation and Characterization of Individual and Multi-drug Loaded Physically Entrapped Polymeric Micelles
Published on: August 28, 2015
Functionalized Coacervates for Cancer Therapy: Advances and Prospects in Phase-Separation-Based Intelligent Drug
Pu-Ge Yu1, Qian-Qian Li1, Jia-Ming Wang1
1State Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biomaterials and Devices, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
Small (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)
|July 28, 2026
Summary
Functionalized coacervates, biomolecular condensation-inspired nanomaterials, offer advanced cancer therapy solutions. Their programmability enhances drug delivery and controlled release within the tumor microenvironment (TME).
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Functionalized coacervates are biomimetic nanomaterials formed via liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS).
- They exhibit high drug-loading capacity, biocompatibility, and responsiveness to the tumor microenvironment (TME).
- These properties make them promising for targeted cancer therapy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent advancements in the design and therapeutic applications of functionalized coacervates for cancer treatment.
- To elucidate the mechanisms underlying their enhanced efficacy and reduced toxicity.
- To discuss challenges and future directions for clinical translation.
Main Methods:
- Review of literature on coacervate construction strategies (driving forces, material platforms, architectures).
- Analysis of mechanisms for improved drug loading, stability, pharmacokinetics, tumor accumulation, and intracellular delivery.
- Discussion of spatiotemporal drug release triggered by TME cues (acidity, redox, enzymes).
Main Results:
- Coacervates demonstrate enhanced therapeutic efficacy by overcoming multidrug resistance (MDR).
- TME-responsive release mechanisms enable precise drug delivery.
- Applications span chemotherapy, nucleic acid delivery, immunotherapy, and combination therapies.
Conclusions:
- Functionalized coacervates represent a versatile platform for advanced cancer therapeutics.
- Further research and development are crucial for their clinical translation.
- This review provides a framework for coacervate-based cancer therapy development.
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