title: Fluorocarbon nanoparticles as multifunctional drug delivery vehicles.
abstract: The history and current status of fluorocarbon nanoparticles in biomedicine is briefly reviewed. The deficiencies of current fluorocarbon nanoparticle formulations are highlighted. Strategies to remedy such deficiencies and to functionalize fluorocarbon nanoparticles are presented. Potential applications of fluorocarbon nanoparticles as multifunctional drug delivery vehicles are discussed. The strength of fluorocarbon nanoparticles as drug delivery vehicles is that they integrate drug delivery with non-invasive MR imaging so that the biodistribution of the pharmaceutical entity (drug + delivery vehicle) can be monitored in real time. This, in turn, permits the physician to adjust treatment plan for each patient based on his/her actual response to the ongoing treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Department of Bioengineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, USA. bruce.yu@utah.edu
authors.forename: Y Bruce
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D002626:Chemistry, Pharmaceutical; D004339:Drug Compounding; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D005466:Fluorocarbons / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D053758:Nanoparticles; D014677:Pharmaceutical Vehicles / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D005466:Fluorocarbons; D014677:Pharmaceutical Vehicles