Targeted delivery of nanoparticles

The curative effectiveness of current and new drugs is often limited by poor pharmacokinetics in vivo. Nanoparticles could be the solution to this problem, as they are the right size to infiltrate and interact with biological systems (i.e., size is similar to proteins). They could allow the division of this big problem into two smaller problems: in vivo delivery, achieved by the nanoparticle, and target site interaction, achieved by the drug. This chapter focuses on the first smaller problem, summarizing the nanoparticle properties governing their biodistribution, i.e., size, surface charge, nonspecific interactions, elasticity, geometry, molecular recognition, and triggered response. It discusses current research focused on controlling and characterizing these parameters and the creation of new drug delivery platforms for specific applications.