Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
CHAPTER 3
Rational Design of Translational
Nanocarriers
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3
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2
QIHANG SUN
b
, MACIEJ RADOSZ
b
AND
YOUQING SHEN*
a
a
Center for Bionanoengineering and State Key Laboratory of Chemical
Engineering, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang
University, Hangzhou 310027, P. R. China;
b
Department of Chemical and
Petroleum Engineering, Soft Materials Laboratory, University of Wyoming,
Laramie, WY 82071, USA
*
E-mail: shenyq@zju.edu.cn
3.1 The Three Key Elements for Translational
Nanomedicine
Nanometer-sized drug carriers, including polymer-drug conjugates, dendri-
mers, liposomes, polymer micelles, and nanoparticles, have been extensively
investigated in drug delivery for cancer chemotherapy.
1,2
Cancer drug delivery
is a process using nanocarriers with appropriate sizes (usually between several
nanometers and 200 nm) and stealth properties to preferentially carry drugs to
tumor tissues via the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect.
2
However, despite improved pharmacokinetic properties and reduced adverse
effects,
1,3
currently cancer drug delivery has only achieved modest therapeutic
benefits.
3,4
Thus, the design of nanocarriers with more efficient drug delivery
and thus higher therapeutic efficacy is still a pressing need.
The cancer drug delivery process can be divided into three stages, shown in
Figure 3.1. Initially, the drug-loaded nanocarrier circulates in the blood
compartments, including the liver and the spleen. When passing through
