Advancements in Targeted Drug Delivery Enhancing Therapeutic Efficacy while Minimizing Side Effects
Nanocarriers for Targeted Delivery
Nanocarriers like polymeric nanoparticles, metallic nanoparticles, dendrimers and carbon nanotubes have emerged as versatile carriers to deliver drugs to the target site. Surface functionalization and targeting ligands confer specificity. Doxil utilizes PEGylated liposomal encapsulation of doxorubicin for effective cancer treatment with reduced side effects.
Prodrug Approach
A prodrug is an inactive compound administered in a modified form to produce the active drug at the target site through metabolic activation. Prodrugs allow improved solubility, permeability and stability of the active drug molecule. Valganciclovir, a prodrug of ganciclovir is activated in cells to deliver ganciclovir selectively at the site of cytomegalovirus infection.
Challenges in Targeted Drug Delivery
While Targeted Drug Delivery holds immense promise for improving treatment outcomes, practical implementation still faces hurdles. The barriers include:
Complex Formulation and Manufacturing: Precise synthesis and quality control of nanocarriers require complex manufacturing capabilities. Scale-up for commercial production needs extensive R&D.
Biological Barriers: Intracellular barriers like endosomal escape and stability in circulation impose challenges. Components face rapid clearance by kidney or reticuloendothelial system.
Targeting Efficiency: Not all systems demonstrate sufficient accumulation and retention at pathological sites for therapeutic benefit. Off-target escape and non-specific binding lead to side effects.
Clinical Translation: Translating successes in preclinical models to human clinical efficacy requires validation in large patient cohorts with long term follow-up studies. Rigorous clinical trials are resource intensive.
Overcoming these limitations necessitates continued multidisciplinary research from material scientists, engineers and clinicians to advance targeted delivery strategies and realize their vast potential. Rational design of hybrid systems integrating bioengineering approaches holds promise to further address biological and formulation complexities. Widescale clinical adoption eventually depends on demonstrating clear advantages of targeted therapies over existing options in terms of efficacy, safety and cost-effectiveness for priority disease indications.
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