Biomaterials for Advanced Therapeutic Delivery
A special issue of Journal of Functional Biomaterials (ISSN 2079-4983).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2025 | Viewed by 188
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Biomaterials are revolutionizing the medical field, especially in therapeutic delivery. These materials, whether natural or synthetic, are intended to interact with biological systems for medical applications. Their application in therapeutic delivery has created new possibilities for treating various diseases and providing targeted, controlled, and sustained release of drugs.
Classification of Biomaterials
Biomaterials utilized in therapeutic delivery can be classified into natural and synthetic classes. Natural biomaterials encompass proteins, polysaccharides, and various biological compounds that exhibit biocompatibility and frequently possess biodegradable properties. Examples comprise collagen, gelatin, and chitosan. Synthetic biomaterials are designed with particular characteristics and comprise polymers such as polylactic acid (PLA), polyglycolic acid (PGA), and their copolymers.
Advantages of Using Biomaterials for Therapeutic Delivery
The principal objective of employing biomaterials in therapeutic delivery is to ascertain that the drugs reach at the target location within the appropriate timeframe and dosage. This can be accomplished through multiple mechanisms:
Controlled Release: Biomaterials can be engineered to release therapeutic drugs at a controlled rate, ensuring a prolonged therapeutic effect. This is especially beneficial for chronic diseases necessitating prolonged treatment.
Targeted Delivery: Altering the surface characteristics of biomaterials enables their transport to certain cells or tissues. This reduces adverse reactions and improves the drugs' therapeutic effects.
Responsive Delivery: Certain biomaterials have been designed to respond to specific stimuli, such as pH, temperature, or redox, thereby releasing drugs exclusively in the presence of these triggers.
Example Applications
Cancer Treatment: Targeted delivery systems can precisely transit chemotherapeutic drugs to cancer cells, thus reducing damage to healthy tissues and minimizing adverse effects.
Gene Therapy: Biomaterials can facilitate the delivery of genetic material into cells, presenting possible interventions for genetic disorders.
Vaccines: Controlled release systems can improve vaccine efficacy by facilitating a continuous release of antigens, resulting in a more robust and enduring immune response.
Obstacles and Prospective Pathways
Even with the considerable progress made in the field of biomaterials, problems still need to be solved in the domain of biomaterials for therapeutic delivery. This encompasses ensuring biocompatibility, preventing immunological reactions, and attaining the precise control of release mechanisms. Future research aims to produce advanced biomaterials capable of offering more accurate and responsive delivery methods.
Conclusions
Biomaterials have revolutionized therapeutic delivery, providing novel opportunities for the treatment of various diseases. Ongoing research is expected to yield increasingly advanced biomaterials, resulting in enhanced and tailored therapies. The field of biomaterials for advanced therapeutic delivery is dynamic and continually evolving, aiming at overcoming current challenges and expanding the range of applications.
This Special Issue is devoted to collecting high-quality original research articles or comprehensive reviews focusing on the topic of biomaterials for therapeutic delivery. We would like to invite researchers to contribute to this Special Issue.
Dr. Kuldeep K. Bansal
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- therapeutic delivery
- natural biomaterials
- controlled release
- targeted delivery
- cancer treatment
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