Materials for drug delivery - p957

Pep Pàmies and Alison Stoddart

doi:10.1038/nmat3798

Full text - Materials for drug delivery | PDF (527KB) - Materials for drug delivery

Strategies for advancing cancer nanomedicine - pp958 - 962

Vikash P. Chauhan and Rakesh K. Jain

doi:10.1038/nmat3792

Cancer nanomedicines approved so far minimize toxicity, but their efficacy is often limited by physiological barriers posed by the tumour microenvironment. This Commentary discusses how these barriers can be overcome through innovative nanomedicine design and through creative manipulation of the tumour microenvironment.

Full text - Strategies for advancing cancer nanomedicine | PDF (4,479KB) - Strategies for advancing cancer nanomedicine | Supplementary information

Translating materials design to the clinic - pp963 - 966

Jeffrey A. Hubbell and Robert Langer

doi:10.1038/nmat3788

Many materials-based therapeutic systems have reached the clinic or are in clinical trials. This Commentary describes materials design principles and the construction of delivery vehicles, as well as their adaptation and evaluation for human use.

Full text - Translating materials design to the clinic | PDF (371KB) - Translating materials design to the clinic

Delivery materials for siRNA therapeutics - pp967 - 977

Rosemary Kanasty, Joseph Robert Dorkin, Arturo Vegas and Daniel Anderson

doi:10.1038/nmat3765

Therapeutics based on small interfering RNA (siRNA), which in principle are able to reversibly silence any gene of interest, are under development for the treatment of cancers, viral infections, hereditary disorders and many other diseases. This Review discusses the biological challenges that siRNA delivery materials aim to overcome, as well as the most clinically advanced classes of siRNA delivery systems, including cyclodextrin–polymer nanoparticles, lipid nanoparticles and siRNA conjugates.

Abstract - Current-induced torques in magnetic materials | Full text - Delivery materials for siRNA therapeutics | PDF (1,061KB) - Delivery materials for siRNA therapeutics

Engineering synthetic vaccines using cues from natural immunity - pp978 - 990

Darrell J. Irvine, Melody A. Swartz and Gregory L. Szeto

doi:10.1038/nmat3775

The clinical application of vaccines has expanded from infectious diseases to cancer, enhancing our vision of how the immune system can be used to prevent and treat disease. This Review highlights recent developments, clinical successes and future challenges in the design of prophylactic, therapeutic and tolerance-inducing synthetic vaccines with inspiration from the natural immune system.

Abstract - Engineering synthetic vaccines using cues from natural immunity | Full text - Engineering synthetic vaccines using cues from natural immunity | PDF (799KB) - Engineering synthetic vaccines using cues from natural immunity

Stimuli-responsive nanocarriers for drug delivery - pp991 - 1003

Simona Mura, Julien Nicolas and Patrick Couvreur

doi:10.1038/nmat3776

Nanoscale materials that deliver drugs in response to specific stimuli offer enhanced control of the drugs' release profile and distribution. This Review provides a comprehensive discussion of progress during the past five years in the design of nanoscale systems that can respond to exogenous stimuli such as temperature or variations in light or magnetic-field intensities, or to endogenous stimuli such as redox gradients or changes in pH or enzyme concentration.

Abstract - Stimuli-responsive nanocarriers for drug delivery | Full text - Stimuli-responsive nanocarriers for drug delivery | PDF (4,828KB) - Stimuli-responsive nanocarriers for drug delivery

Macroscale delivery systems for molecular and cellular payloads - pp1004 - 1017

Cathal J. Kearney and David J. Mooney

doi:10.1038/nmat3758

The use of macroscopic depots to deliver drugs — including small molecules, protein and cells — at the desired treatment site by using a carrier whose physical and chemical properties control the presentation of the drug increases drug effectiveness and reduces side effects. This Review discusses the advantages of macroscopic drug-delivery systems, the associated mechanisms of spatiotemporal control of drug presentation, and the design and use of multifunctional macroscopic drug-delivery devices.

Abstract - Macroscale delivery systems for molecular and cellular payloads | Full text - Macroscale delivery systems for molecular and cellular payloads | PDF (2,257KB) - Macroscale delivery systems for molecular and cellular payloads