Traditionally, the goal of nanoparticle-based chemotherapy has been to decrease normal tissue toxicity by improving drug specificity to tumors. The enhanced permeability and retention effect can permit passive accumulation into tumor interstitium. However, suboptimal delivery is achieved with most nanoparticles because of heterogeneities of vascular permeability, which limits nanoparticle penet...

In response to the challenges of cancer chemotherapeutics, including poor physicochemical properties, low tumor targeting, insufficient tumor cell internalization/bioavailability, and side effects, we developed a unique tumor-targeted micellar drug-delivery platform. Using paclitaxel as a model therapeutic, a nanopreparation composed of a matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2)-sensitive self-assembl...

Background/introduction An approach of drug delivery to hypovascular tumor tissues is proposed. For such tumor tissues, it is difficult to deliver anti-tumor agents at enough concentration and duration by either systemic or local administration. If we could manipulate the distribution of locally injected drugs by ultrasound, an efficient drug therapy would be possible. We have found that locall...

Drug delivery systems such as nanoparticles can provide enhanced efficacy for anticancer agents. Noscapine, a widely used cough suppressant for decades has recently been shown to cause significant inhibition and regression of tumor volumes without any detectable toxicity in cells or tissues. Nanoparticles made of human serum albumin (HSA) represent promising strategy for targeted drug delivery ...

Nanoparticle drug carriers hold potential to improve current cancer therapy by delivering payload to the tumor environment and decreasing toxic side effects. Challenges in nanotechnology drug delivery include plasma instability, site-specific delivery, and relevant biomarkers. We have developed a triblock polymer comprising a hydroxamic acid functionalized center block that chelates iron to for...

Zheng et al. (2004) developed a multiscale, two-dimensional tumor simulator with the capability of showing tumoral lesion progression through the stages of diffusion-limited dormancy, neo-vascularization (angiogenesis) and consequent rapid growth and tissue invasion. In this paper we extend their simulator to describe delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs to a highly perfused tumoral lesion and th...

pH-sensitive drug carriers that are sensitive to the acidic (pH = ~6.5) microenvironments of tumor tissues have been primarily used as effective drug/gene/siRNA/microRNA carriers for releasing their payloads to tumor cells/tissues. Resistance to various drugs has become a big hurdle in systemic chemotherapy in cancer. Therefore delivery of chemotherapeutic agents and siRNA's targeting anti apop...

The inherently toxic nature of chemotherapy drugs is essential for them to kill cancer cells but is also the source of the detrimental side effects experienced by patients. One strategy to reduce these side effects is to limit the healthy tissue exposure by encapsulating the drugs in a vehicle that demonstrates a very low leak rate in circulation while simultaneously having the potential for ra...