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Nanocarriers as an emerging platform for cancer therapy

Abstract

Nanotechnology has the potential to revolutionize cancer diagnosis and therapy. Advances in protein engineering and materials science have contributed to novel nanoscale targeting approaches that may bring new hope to cancer patients. Several therapeutic nanocarriers have been approved for clinical use. However, to date, there are only a few clinically approved nanocarriers that incorporate molecules to selectively bind and target cancer cells. This review examines some of the approved formulations and discusses the challenges in translating basic research to the clinic. We detail the arsenal of nanocarriers and molecules available for selective tumour targeting, and emphasize the challenges in cancer treatment.

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Figure 1: Schematic representation of different mechanisms by which nanocarriers can deliver drugs to tumours.
Figure 2: Common targeting agents and ways to improve their affinity and selectivity.
Figure 3: Examples of nanocarriers for targeting cancer.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge Shiladitya Sengupta for critically reviewing the manuscript and Maeve Cullinane for helpful discussions. This work was supported by federal funds NIH/NCI CA119349, NIH/NIBIB EB 003647, and NIH R01-EB000244. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official view of the NIH.

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Correspondence to Robert Langer.

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O.C.F. and R.L. have financial interest in BIND Bioscience. The rest of the authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Peer, D., Karp, J., Hong, S. et al. Nanocarriers as an emerging platform for cancer therapy. Nature Nanotech 2, 751–760 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2007.387

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