Nano‐Oncologicals: A Tortoise Trail Reaching New Avenues

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Research efforts towards cancer therapeutics have resulted in the development of a variety of pharmacological molecules, including small synthetic molecules and biological drugs (RNA‐based therapies and monoclonal antibodies—mAbs), intended to target tumor or immune‐related cells, or their signaling mediators. The majority of them present important biopharmaceutical problems related to their difficulties for overcoming biological barriers and reach their targets. Nanotechnology has been, for more than 60 years, trying to solve these problems. As knowledge in drug discovery, molecular biology, and biomaterials advances, there has been significant progress in the adequate design of nanodelivery strategies that may significantly contribute to the exploitation of the new therapies. This review provides a critical overview of the current potential of nanotechnology to solve problems associated with the different categories of drugs. Starting with the general concept of passive and active targeting, it presents the distinct advantages that delivery technologies have shown to date for improving the therapeutic outcome of small drugs with cytotoxic activity, RNA‐ and mAb‐based therapies. Moreover, it precisely describes the benefits of combining immunotherapies and nanotechnology. The most advanced technologies are put into perspective in relation to their translational pathway and the future avenues for nano‐oncologicals.
This is a critical review of the applications of nanotechnology for the improvement of oncological treatments based both on synthetic and biological molecules to target either tumor or immune cells. An overview of the early beginnings of the field, together with the most relevant formulations in clinical and preclinical evaluation, is also provided.