What Went Wrong with Anticancer Nanomedicine Design and How to Make It Right

Acetalated dextran based nano- and microparticles: synthesis, fabrication, and therapeutic applications

“…Then, the pH-responsive degradation in the acidic tumour microenvironment triggers the drug release to eliminate cancer cells. Although the basis of EPR effect is not completely understood and still in dispute, [97][98][99][100] the Ac-DEX-based delivery systems have shown some promising results in vivo. 101,102 Below, we briefly introduce the application of Ac-DEX-based delivery systems in different cancer therapies, and highlight some novel designs.…”

Applications of Nanoparticle-Antibody Conjugates in Immunoassays and Tumor Imaging

“…These principles have been the cornerstone of nanoparticle delivery to tumors for therapeutic purposes, and it also underlines the principles behind using nanoparticle-based contrast agents for tumor imaging. This perceived selective accumulation occurs due to ( 4 , 62 ): Enhance permeation and retention ( EPR ) effect: tumor vasculature, especially concentrated at the tumor-host interface and within the stroma, does not mature properly and faulty vasculature allows easier extravasation of macromolecular structures into the tumor stroma. Poor lymphatic drainage kinetically entraps nanoparticles in tumor tissue, increasing their residence time at the site of interest Low volume of distribution as the vast majority of the nanoparticle-loaded dose is retained within the blood vasculature (when compared with a small-molecule equivalent) Prolonged half-life in circulation increases the likelihood of nanoparticle extravasation due to the probability Combination of EPR effect with long circulation can universally enhance tumor accumulation …”

The Peptide Functionalized Inorganic Nanoparticles for Cancer-Related Bioanalytical and Biomedical Applications

“…Diagnostic and therapeutic agents play critical roles in the combat against this malignant disease. Because of their unique physicochemical properties such as large specific surface area, easy functionalization, and excellent optical, electrical, and magnetic properties, a variety of inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) have been extensively studied for early detection and treatment of cancers since 1996 [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 ]. For instance, due to their morphology (size, shape, and structure)-dependent localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), colloidal gold NPs (AuNPs) have been employed for the development of simple colorimetric sensing systems for sensitive detection of various cancer-related biomarkers and carcinogens [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 29 ].…”

“…Magnetic nanoparticles such as iron oxide NPs (IONPs) are excellent theranostics for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided photothermal therapy (PTT) against cancer because they exhibit good biocompatibility, strong magnetic resonance (MR) contrast capacity, and high photothermal conversion efficiency [ 12 , 13 , 14 ]. In particular, the NPs prefer to accumulate in tumor sites by the size-dependent enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) mechanism [ 21 , 28 , 30 , 31 , 32 ]. This beneficial combination of physical and chemical properties has also given rise to an important application of NPs in the delivery of different anticancer drugs including traditional chemical drugs, small-interfering RNA (siRNA), and antigens [ 7 , 16 , 28 , 30 , 31 ].…”