Engineered nanoparticles have the potential to revolutionize the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases; for example, by allowing the targeted delivery of a drug to particular subsets of cells. However, so far, such nanoparticles have not proved capable of surmounting all of the biological barriers required to achieve this goal. Nevertheless, advances in nanoparticle engineering, as well as advances in understanding the importance of nanoparticle characteristics such as size, shape and surface properties for biological interactions, are creating new opportunities for the development of nanoparticles for therapeutic applications. This Review focuses on recent progress important for the rational design of such nanoparticles and discusses the challenges to realizing the potential of nanoparticles.

Strategies in the design of nanoparticles for therapeutic applications

Biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles based drug delivery systems

PLGA-based nanoparticles: An overview of biomedical applications

Gold nanoparticles in delivery applications

https://www.farm.ucl.ac.be/Full-texts-FARM/Danhier-2010-2.pdf

To exploit the tumor microenvironment: Passive and active tumor targeting of nanocarriers for anti-cancer drug delivery

Nanoparticle and targeted systems for cancer therapy.

Active targeting schemes for nanoparticle systems in cancer therapeutics.

Doxorubicin-loaded PLGA nanoparticles by nanoprecipitation: preparation, characterization and in vitro evaluation.

Micro- and nanofabrication techniques have revolutionized the pharmaceutical and medical fields as they offer the possibility for highly reproducible mass-fabrication of systems with complex geometries and functionalities, including novel drug delivery systems and bionsensors. The principal micro- and nanofabrication techniques are described, including photolithography, soft lithography, film deposition, etching, bonding, molecular self assembly, electrically induced nanopatterning, rapid prototyping, and electron, X-ray, colloidal monolayer, and focused ion beam lithography. Application of these techniques for the fabrication of drug delivery and biosensing systems including injectable, implantable, transdermal, and mucoadhesive devices is described.

Micro- and nanofabrication methods in nanotechnological medical and pharmaceutical devices.

This work evaluates various techniques for the incorporation of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) onto biodegradable nanoparticles (NPs) of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) or poly(lactic acid) (PLA) with the purpose of providing a functional site for surface conjugation of targeting agents and for improving surface properties. The techniques compared were based on NP preparation with blends of PLGA and poloxamer or with block copolymers of PLGA/PLA with PEG. Blending of PLGA with poloxamer 407 resulted in the incorporation of the latter to up to a 43 wt % content. Direct conjugation of heterofunctional NH2-PEG-COOH to the surface of premade NPs was not highly effective. Preparation of copolymers of PLGA with PEG was determined to be more effective and versatile by polymerization of lactide and glycolide dimers onto the hydroxyl group of heterofunctional OH-PEG-COOH than by conjugation of the premade polymers with carbodiimide chemistry. NPs prepared with these copolymers confirmed the surface localization of PEG and proved to be useful for conjugation of mouse immumoglobulin as a model targeting agent.

Lisa Brannon-Peppas

Papers

Nanoparticle and targeted systems for cancer therapy.

Active targeting schemes for nanoparticle systems in cancer therapeutics.

Doxorubicin-loaded PLGA nanoparticles by nanoprecipitation: preparation, characterization and in vitro evaluation.

Micro- and nanofabrication methods in nanotechnological medical and pharmaceutical devices.

PEGylation strategies for active targeting of PLA/PLGA nanoparticles.