title: Bioengineering strategies for designing targeted cancer therapies.
abstract: The goals of bioengineering strategies for targeted cancer therapies are (1) to deliver a high dose of an anticancer drug directly to a cancer tumor, (2) to enhance drug uptake by malignant cells, and (3) to minimize drug uptake by nonmalignant cells. Effective cancer-targeting therapies will require both passive- and active-targeting strategies and a thorough understanding of physiologic barriers to targeted drug delivery. Designing a targeted therapy includes the selection and optimization of a nanoparticle delivery vehicle for passive accumulation in tumors, a targeting moiety for active receptor-mediated uptake, and stimuli-responsive polymers for control of drug release. The future direction of cancer targeting is a combinatorial approach, in which targeting therapies are designed to use multiple-targeting strategies. The combinatorial approach will enable combination therapy for delivery of multiple drugs and dual ligand targeting to improve targeting specificity. Targeted cancer treatments in development and the new combinatorial approaches show promise for improving targeted anticancer drug delivery and improving treatment outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, USA.|Department of Craniofacial Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: Angela A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Alexander-Bryant
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, USA.|Department of Craniofacial Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA.|Department of Chemical and Life Science Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA.
authors.forename: Wendy S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Vanden Berg-Foels
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, USA.|Department of Craniofacial Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA.|Department of Chemical and Life Science Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA.|Department of Regenerative Medicine and Cell Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA.|Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA.|Institute for Biomedical Engineering and Nanotechnology, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.|Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA.|College of Dental Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: Xuejun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D057005:Bioengineering; D004337:Drug Carriers; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D004337:Drug Carriers; D011108:Polymers