title: Synthetic micro/nanomotors in drug delivery.
abstract: Nanomachines offer considerable promise for the treatment of diseases. The ability of man-made nanomotors to rapidly deliver therapeutic payloads to their target destination represents a novel nanomedicine approach. Synthetic nanomotors, based on a multitude of propulsion mechanisms, have been developed over the past decade toward diverse biomedical applications. In this review article, we journey from the use of chemically powered drug-delivery nanovehicles to externally actuated (fuel-free) drug-delivery nanomachine platforms, and conclude with future prospects and challenges for such practical propelling drug-delivery systems. As future micro/nanomachines become more powerful and functional, these tiny devices are expected to perform more demanding biomedical tasks and benefit different drug delivery applications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nanoengineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA. josephwang@ucsd.edu.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D050997:Nanomedicine; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D053770:Nanowires / Q000737:chemistry; D011100:Polyglycolic Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D000077182:Polylactic Acid-Polyglycolic Acid Copolymer
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D004337:Drug Carriers; D000077182:Polylactic Acid-Polyglycolic Acid Copolymer; D011100:Polyglycolic Acid; D019344:Lactic Acid