Abstract
The controlled release of therapeutics has been one of the major challenges for scientists and engineers during the past three decades. Coupled with excellent biocompatibility profiles, various nanomaterials have showed great promise for biomedical applications. Stimuli-responsive nanomaterials guarantee the controlled release of cargo to a given location, at a specific time, and with an accurate amount. In this review, we have combined the major stimuli that are currently used to achieve the ultimate goal of controlled and targeted release by “smart” nanomaterials. The most heavily explored strategies include (1) pH, (2) enzymes, (3) redox, (4) magnetic, and (5) light-triggered release.
About the authors
Song Li received his master’s degree in Pharmaceutical Science at Peking University, China. He is currently a PhD student under the supervision of Professor Niveen M. Khashab at the Controlled Release and Delivery Laboratory (CRD), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia. While conducting his PhD, he has been collaborating with the Mechanical Engineering Department, University of California, Berkeley, about implantable drug delivery devices. His current research also involves the fabrication of photosensitive composite membranes for controlled drug release.
Wengang Li is a PhD student at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, where he received his master’s degree, with Professor Niveen M. Khashab. He was trained on organic total synthesis at Caltech with Professor Brian Stoltz. His research interest is mainly focused on polymer-modified stimuli-responsive liposomal (temperature, pH, etc.) and natural polymer (alginic acid, chitosan, etc.)-modified silica nanoparticles for controlled drug release.
Professor Khashab has been working on developing “smart” nanomaterials for drug delivery and imaging applications since she joined King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in 2009. Combing different organic and inorganic motifs with unique internal and external stimuli led to the discovery of responsive systems that are valuable in biomedical applications. Professor Khashab graduated with a PhD in Organic Chemistry and a minor in Medicinal Chemistry from University of Florida, USA, in 2006. She then started her first postdoc appointment at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) followed by another appointment at Northwestern University in 2008. Through her postdoctoral work, she worked on functionalized silica nanoparticles for drug delivery applications. Professor Khashab obtained her BS in Chemistry from the American University of Beirut (AUB) in 2002.
©2012 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin Boston
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