Targeted Drug Delivery

Dear Colleagues,

The clinically significant impact of targeted drug delivery lies in the ability to target a drug or drug carrier to minimize the impact of drug-originated systemic toxic effects. Nanotechnology-based biomedical approaches hold great promise for providing targeted therapies that limit or reduce side effects, improve patient compliance, reduce patient costs, the length of hospital stays and improve quality of life. During the last several decades, controlled drug and multidrug delivery technology have advanced significantly, leading to the development of sophisticated drug delivery systems. Although still in its infancy, an intensive effort is being directed towards the development of more efficient, functional, and safe drug delivery systems. Oral and transdermal drug delivery systems routinely deliver drugs over a twenty-four-hour period substantially improving drug efficacy and minimizing side effects. Implantable systems can provide drugs locally for months, even years. Targeted delivery can be actively or passively achieved using a variety of fabrication methods and applied either as an active target system requiring conjugation of a therapeutic agent to a carrier system through tissue or cell-specific ligand. Passive targeting, in contrast, integrates the therapeutic agent into a macromolecule or nanoparticle that passively reaches the target organ. While significant advances have been made, there are still areas where substantial improvements need to be made to reach the next level of clinical relevance. The focus of this Special Issue is the development of novel drug delivery systems that offer prolonged release kinetics and long persistence at the target site while simultaneously reducing unwanted side effects.

Examples of manuscript research areas requested:

1]. Drugs encapsulated in nanoparticles or drugs coupled to macromolecules with a bound targeting agent

2]. Contact-facilitated drug delivery using liposomes and binding or interaction with the targeted cell membrane.

3]. Soluble polymers or biodegradable microsphere polymers (synthetic and natural) that target delivery of bioactive factors or drugs

4]. Multi-composite drug delivery system such as metal NP

5]. Medical devices, such as catheters or sutures, that incorporate nanoparticles to the target organ or tissues.

Prof. Dr. David K. Mills
Guest Editor

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