Advances in Smart Nanocarriers for Targeted Drug Delivery

Dear Colleagues,

Conventional drug-delivery systems often reveal the problem of non-specific distribution and the uncontrolled release of drugs. This has led to the development of smart devices, often in the nano dimensions, specifically designed for drug delivery, that can occur in a spatially controlled manner and with a reduced dosage of drugs. Not all types of nanocarriers are sufficiently smart to be employed in drug delivery, with ideal candidates being those (i) carrying drugs specifically at the site of action, (ii) that are targeted by the unhealthy cell or tissue, and (iii) that are stimulus-responsive to releasing the drug payload.

The most reported smart nanocarriers include liposomes, dendrimers, micelles, meso-porous silica, gold nanoparticles, super paramagnetic iron-oxide, graphene, carbon nanotubes, quantum dots, etc. The smartness of a drug-delivering nanocarrier increases if the system is highly biocompatible and poorly toxic. Hence, accumulation of the nanocarrier in the vital organs followed by its degradation (if any) can lead to toxicity, which, ultimately, depends on the physico-chemical properties of the nanosystem (composition, shape, size, specific surface area, surface charge, etc.).

The development of smart nanocarriers to be applied in drug-delivery requires the collaboration of chemists, physicists, pharmacologists, and physicians who, in most cases, have different objectives. Therefore, we invite all those working in these fields to make a contribution (full papers, communications, and reviews) to this Special Issue entitled “Advances in Smart Nanocarriers for Targeted Drug Delivery”. This Special Issue represents a good opportunity for researchers around the world to disseminate different aspects of their work spanning from materials science to cell biology, biomolecular design, engineering, and medical physics.

Dr. Nicola Margiotta
Dr. Michele Iafisco
Guest Editors

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• inorganic Nanocarriers
• organic nanocarriers
• drug delivery
• liposomes
• dendrimers
• micelles
• silica
• gold nanoparticles
• SPIONs
• graphene
• carbon nanotubes
• quantum dots