title: Integration column: biofunctional polymeric nanoparticles for spatio-temporal control of drug delivery and biomedical applications.
abstract: Polymeric nanoparticle technology has evolved from drug carrier design to advanced multifunctional macromolecular structures. They enable drug delivery and release of a bioactive under spatio-temporal control rather than just passive release by a long-circulating carrier. As such, the carrier is enabling the biomolecule or the bioactive to carry out its designed biological function. Due to their small size nanoparticles may also induce perturbations of biological systems different from any other biomaterials, therefore opening up new biomedical applications as well as raising concerns about adverse effects.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine and Pharmacobiology and Institute of Bioengineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland. dominique.rothenfluh@mac.com
authors.forename: Dominique A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Rothenfluh
authors.forename: Jeffrey A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Hubbell
mesh_terms: D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry*; D050997:Nanomedicine / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends*; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D010316:Particle Size
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D004337:Drug Carriers