title: "Combo" nanomedicine: Co-delivery of multi-modal therapeutics for efficient, targeted, and safe cancer therapy.
abstract: The dynamic and versatile nature of diseases such as cancer has been a pivotal challenge for developing efficient and safe therapies. Cancer treatments using a single therapeutic agent often result in limited clinical outcomes due to tumor heterogeneity and drug resistance. Combination therapies using multiple therapeutic modalities can synergistically elevate anti-cancer activity while lowering doses of each agent, hence, reducing side effects. Co-administration of multiple therapeutic agents requires a delivery platform that can normalize pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the agents, prolong circulation, selectively accumulate, specifically bind to the target, and enable controlled release in target site. Nanomaterials, such as polymeric nanoparticles, gold nanoparticles/cages/shells, and carbon nanomaterials, have the desired properties, and they can mediate therapeutic effects different from those generated by small molecule drugs (e.g., gene therapy, photothermal therapy, photodynamic therapy, and radiotherapy). This review aims to provide an overview of developing multi-modal therapies using nanomaterials ("combo" nanomedicine) along with the rationale, up-to-date progress, further considerations, and the crucial roles of interdisciplinary approaches.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, United States.
authors.forename: Jessica A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Kemp
authors.affiliation: Division of Bioengineering, Incheon National University, Incheon 406-772, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Min Suk
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Shim
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, United States; Department of Plastic Surgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Department of Plastic Surgery, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Chan Yeong
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Heo
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, United States; Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science,University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, United States; Department of Biomedical Engineering,University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, United States; Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, United States. Electronic address: kwonyj@uci.edu.
authors.forename: Young Jik
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Kwon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D006801:Humans; D050997:Nanomedicine; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents
keywords: Multi-modal therapy; Nanomedicine; Synergistic anti-cancer effects