title: Delivery of cancer therapeutics using nanotechnology.
abstract: Nanoparticles have been investigated as drug carriers, because they provide a great opportunity due to their advantageous features: (i) various formulations using organic/inorganic materials, (ii) easy modification of targeting molecules, drugs or other molecules on them, (iii) effective delivery to target sites, resulting in high therapeutic efficacy and (iv) controlling drug release by external/internal stimuli. Because of these features, therapeutic efficacy can be improved and unwanted side effects can be reduced. Theranostic nanoparticles have been developed by incorporating imaging agents in drug carriers as all-in-one system, which makes it possible to diagnose and treat cancer by monitoring drug delivery behavior simultaneously. Recently, stimuli-responsive, activatable nanomaterials are being applied that are capable of producing chemical or physical changes by external stimuli. By using these nanoparticles, multiple tasks can be carried out simultaneously, e.g., early and accurate diagnosis, efficient cataloguing of patient groups of personalized therapy and real-time monitoring of disease progress. In this paper, we describe various types of nanoparticles for drug delivery systems, as well as theranostic systems.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-752, Korea. haam@yonsei.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Eun-Kyung
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Eunji
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.forename: Kwangyeol
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Seungjoo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Haam
authors.forename: Yong-Min
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Huh