Functionalized micellar systems for cancer targeted drug delivery

Damon Sutton, Norased Nasongkla, Elvin Blanco, Jinming Gao

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

498 Scopus citations

Abstract

Polymer micelles are rapidly becoming a powerful nanomedicine platform for cancer therapeutic applications due to their small size (10-100 nm), in vivo stability, ability to solubilize water insoluble anticancer drugs, and prolonged blood circulation times. Recent data from clinical trials with three micelle formulations have highlighted these and other pharmacokinetic advantages with reduced systemic toxicity and patient morbidity compared to conventional drug formulation. While the initial anti-tumor efficacy of these systems seems promising, a strong research impetus has been placed on micelle functionalization in order to achieve tumor targeting and site-specific drug release, with the hope of reaching a more pronounced tumor response. Hence, the purpose of this review is to draw attention to the new developments of multi-functional polymer micelles for cancer therapy with special focus on tumor targeting and controlled drug release strategies.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1029-1046
Number of pages18
JournalPharmaceutical Research
Volume24
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2007

Keywords

  • Active targeting
  • Cancer nanomedicine
  • Micelle pharmacokinetics
  • Polymer micelles
  • Responsive drug release

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Chemistry(all)
  • Pharmaceutical Science
  • Pharmacology

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