Innovations in targeted drug delivery: A step towards personalized treatment

Abstract

A significant number of conventional dosage forms demonstrate suboptimal pharmacokinetic and biopharmaceutical properties, underscoring the need for innovative drug delivery systems capable of selectively targeting the active drug molecule to the intended site of action. Targeted drug delivery (TDD) is a sophisticated approach that ensures precise drug transport to the desired location, reducing systemic side effects and enhancing therapeutic efficacy. By employing various carriers, including nanoparticles, liposomes, niosomes, monoclonal antibodies, and immune cells, TDD achieves sustained and localized drug release. These carriers are tailored based on the drug’s properties, delivery route, and disease type, employing mechanisms such as passive, active, and ligand-based targeting. Advanced technologies like nanotubes, nanoshells, and nanobots further enhance the precision of drug delivery. Particularly effective in cancer therapy, TDD minimizes toxicity while improving treatment outcomes. This review highlights the principles of TDD, the production methods of key carriers such as liposomes and nanoparticles, and their diverse biomedical applications, balancing their merits and limitations to showcase the transformative potential of TDD in modern medicine.