title: Not just for tumor targeting: unmet medical needs and opportunities for nanomedicine.
abstract: During the last 3 decades, nanomedicines have provided novel opportunities to improve the delivery of chemotherapeutics in cancer therapy effectively. However, many principles learnt from there have the potential to be transferred to other diseases. This perspective article, on the one hand, critically reflects the limitations of nanomedicines in tumor therapy and, on the other hand, provides alternative examples of nanomedicinal applications in immunotherapy, noninvasive drug deliveries across epithelial barriers and strategies to combat intra- and extra-cellular bacterial infections. Looking ahead, access to highly complex nanoparticular delivery vehicles given nowadays may allow further improved therapeutic concepts against several diseases in the future too.
authors.affiliation: Helmholtz-Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (HZI), 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany.
authors.forename: Elise Anne
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Lepeltier
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutics, Ghent University, Ottergemsesteenweg 460, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Lutz
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nuhn
authors.affiliation: Helmholtz-Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (HZI), 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany.|Department of Pharmacy, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany.
authors.forename: Claus-Michael
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Lehr
authors.affiliation: Institute of Organic Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Duesbergweg 10-14, Mainz, Germany.
authors.forename: Rudolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zentel
mesh_terms: D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D050997:Nanomedicine / Q000379:methods*; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy
keywords: epithelial barriers; immunotherapy; intra- and extra-cellular bacteria; nanomedicines; vaccination