Innovative Drug Delivery Systems and Technologies
Summary
Innovative drug delivery systems encompass a broad spectrum of platforms designed to optimise the therapeutic index of active agents by improving targeting, controlling release kinetics and enhancing patient adherence. Advances range from nanoparticle-based carriers and stimuli-responsive materials to implantable devices and living therapeutics. Nanocarriers can traverse biological barriers and release payloads in a sustained or on-demand fashion, while core–shell architectures offer compartmentalised storage and triggered discharge. Stimuli-responsive systems harness endogenous cues such as pH or enzyme presence, or exogenous signals like light and ultrasound, to achieve site-specific treatment. Implantable polymeric matrices and microneedle arrays permit minimally invasive, long-term administration, reducing dosing frequency and mitigating systemic side effects. Oral platforms are being re-engineered to accommodate biomacromolecules, extending non-invasive delivery to peptides and nucleic acids. Intelligent formulations integrate autonomous regulation of release profiles, mimicking multi-dose regimens through a single administration. Collectively, these technologies promise to overcome the limitations of conventional dosage forms by improving bioavailability, reducing off-target toxicity and addressing global challenges in medication adherence.
Research from Nature Portfolio
Recent studies have underscored the potential of advanced delivery systems to tackle medication adherence hurdles. A comprehensive review has highlighted next-generation formulations capable of oral administration of large biomolecules, self-regulating dose release and mimicking multiple dosing schedules through a single application, thereby directly addressing barriers such as frequent dosing and delayed onset of action. In parallel, experimental work has introduced a DNA-based core–shell nanostructure engineered via electrosynthesis, demonstrating controlled release governed by non-exponential diffusion kinetics. By applying a fractional kinetic framework, this work captures anomalous release patterns and memory-dependent diffusion, offering a predictive model for the design of highly precise delivery vehicles.
Innovative Drug Delivery Systems and Technologies publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in innovative drug delivery systems and technologies across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Drug delivery system (DDS): A formulation or device engineered to transport a therapeutic agent to its target site in a controlled manner.
Nanocarrier: A nanoscale vehicle, often lipid- or polymer-based, designed to encapsulate drugs and improve transport across biological barriers.
Bioavailability: The fraction of an administered dose that reaches systemic circulation and is available for therapeutic action.
Pharmacokinetics: The study of how a drug is absorbed, distributed, metabolised and excreted by the body.
Core–shell nanoparticle: A composite nanostructure with a distinct inner core and outer shell, allowing segregated drug storage and controlled release.
References
- Overcoming barriers to patient adherence: the case for developing innovative drug delivery systems. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery (2023).
- Advance in oral delivery of living material. Biomedical Technology (2023).
- The Effective Combination between 3D Cancer Models and Stimuli-Responsive Nanoscale Drug Delivery Systems. Cells (2021).
- An Innovative Polymeric Platform for Controlled and Localized Drug Delivery. Pharmaceutics (2023).
- Anomalous kinetic study of atenolol release from ATN@DNA a core-shell like structure. Scientific Reports (2023).
About these summaries
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