title: Getting there is half the battle: recent advances in delivering therapeutics.
abstract: Delivery of therapeutic molecules at the right time, place and at the correct dosage is critical to improve the effectiveness of therapeutic regimens. Barriers in the body, normally needed to maintain function, often impede delivery of therapeutic payloads to their target areas. Designing innovative solutions to circumvent these environmental factors, and ensure the timely delivery of therapeutic doses, is an essential element in improving human health. Here we highlight recent studies that focus on bypassing different barriers crucial for improving therapeutic delivery, by temporarily modifying the in vivo microenvironment, re-designing therapeutic carrier vehicles to improve control characteristics and on-demand delivery, and developing convenience-based strategies to improve patient compliance and access to therapeutics.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California - Los Angeles, USA.
authors.forename: Sasha Cai
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Lesher-Perez
authors.forename: Tatiana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Segura
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Moraes
mesh_terms: D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D020100:Hydrogels / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D008081:Liposomes / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D053769:Nanocapsules / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D020100:Hydrogels; D008081:Liposomes; D053769:Nanocapsules