Polymeric Micelles in Anticancer Therapy: Targeting, Imaging and Triggered Release

作者：Chris Oerlemans, Wouter Bult, Mariska Bos, Gert Storm, J. Frank W. Nijsen, Wim E. Hennink · 发表于：Pharmaceutical Research · 年份：2010 · DOI：10.1007/s11095-010-0233-4 · 被引用次数：942 · 研究领域：Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery、Nanoplatforms for cancer theranostics、Advanced Polymer Synthesis and Characterization

Micelles are colloidal particles with a size around 5-100 nm which are currently under investigation as carriers for hydrophobic drugs in anticancer therapy. Currently, five micellar formulations for anticancer therapy are under clinical evaluation, of which Genexol-PM has been FDA approved for use in patients with breast cancer. Micelle-based drug delivery, however, can be improved in different ways. Targeting ligands can be attached to the micelles which specifically recognize and bind to receptors overexpressed in tumor cells, and chelation or incorporation of imaging moieties enables tracking micelles in vivo for biodistribution studies. Moreover, pH-, thermo-, ultrasound-, or light-sensitive block copolymers allow for controlled micelle dissociation and triggered drug release. The combination of these approaches will further improve specificity and efficacy of micelle-based drug delivery and brings the development of a 'magic bullet' a major step forward.