Nanomedicine Applications in Drug Delivery Systems

Nanomedicine has emerged as a transformative field in drug delivery, exploiting materials engineered at the nanometre scale to overcome limitations of conventional therapies. By harnessing the distinct physicochemical properties of nanoscale constructs, researchers have designed carriers that enhance solubility of poorly water‐soluble drugs, prolong systemic circulation, and deliver payloads selectively to diseased tissues. Common platforms include liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles, dendrimers and solid lipid nanoparticles, each offering tunable size, surface chemistry and stimulus‐responsive behaviour. Passive targeting, driven by the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect in leaky vasculature, allows nanoparticles to accumulate in tumours or inflamed regions, while surface modification with ligands facilitates active targeting of specific cell receptors. Triggered release mechanisms—such as pH‐sensitive or enzyme‐responsive bonds—enable on‐demand drug discharge at the site of interest, reducing systemic toxicity and improving therapeutic indices. Despite substantial progress, clinical translation remains challenging due to manufacturing complexity, reproducibility, biocompatibility concerns and regulatory hurdles. Continued innovation in nanoparticle design, rigorous safety assessment and scalable production will be vital to realise the full potential of nanomedicine in improving patient outcomes across oncology, infectious disease, cardiovascular disorders and beyond.

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Nanomedicine Applications in Drug Delivery Systems publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in nanomedicine applications in drug delivery systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Nanoparticle: A particle with at least one dimension between 1 and 100 nanometres, used as a carrier for therapeutic agents due to its unique surface and bulk properties.

Nanocarrier: A nanoscale vehicle—such as a liposome or polymeric particle—designed to transport drugs to specific tissues or cells while protecting payloads from degradation.

Enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect: A phenomenon in which nanoparticles preferentially accumulate in tumour or inflamed tissues owing to their leaky vasculature and impaired lymphatic drainage.

Active targeting: Surface functionalisation of a nanocarrier with ligands (e.g. antibodies or peptides) that bind selectively to receptors on target cells, improving uptake and therapeutic efficacy.

Triggered release: A strategy wherein nanocarriers release their payload in response to specific stimuli—such as pH changes, enzymes or temperature—ensuring controlled drug delivery at the disease site.

References

1. Nanomedicine: Principles, Properties, and Regulatory Issues. Frontiers in Chemistry (2018).
2. Development of Pharmaceutical Nanomedicines: From the Bench to the Market. Pharmaceutics (2022).
3. Nanomaterials for Biomedical Applications: Production, Characterisations, Recent Trends and Difficulties. Molecules (2021).
4. Nanomedicines: The magic bullets reaching their target?. European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (2018).
5. Challenges towards Targeted Drug Delivery in Cancer Nanomedicines. Processes (2021).