Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery and Imaging Technologies

Nanoparticle-based systems represent a versatile platform for the targeted delivery of therapeutics and for diagnostic imaging across a range of diseases, most prominently cancer. By virtue of their nanoscale dimensions, surface functionalisation and tunable physicochemical properties, nanoparticles can exploit the enhanced permeability and retention effect to accumulate preferentially in pathological tissues. A variety of materials – lipids, polymers, inorganic metals and metal oxides – serve as cores or carriers, while surface coatings of polyethylene glycol, antibodies or small‐molecule ligands confer stealth behaviour and active targeting. Multifunctional designs integrate therapeutic agents (small molecules, nucleic acids or radionuclides) with imaging reporters (fluorophores, magnetic contrast or radioisotopes) to enable simultaneous therapy and non-invasive monitoring, a paradigm known as theranostics. Central challenges include controlling biodistribution, minimising off-target toxicity, and ensuring reproducible clearance, often through biodegradable or renal-clearable architectures. Recent advances in near-infrared imaging, radiolabelling chemistry and stimulus-responsive release have accelerated preclinical and early clinical translation. The global significance of these technologies lies in their potential to personalise medicine through image-guided dosing, to reduce systemic side effects and to improve early detection and longitudinal tracking of treatment response.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have introduced a non-invasive positron emission tomography nanoreporter that quantitatively predicts the accumulation and therapeutic efficacy of liposomal doxorubicin in individual tumours. By co-injecting a zirconium-89 labelled nanoparticle alongside the chemotherapeutic carrier, researchers demonstrated that PET imaging of the radiotracer provides a precise surrogate for drug delivery, revealing marked inter-tumour uptake heterogeneity. Importantly, tumours exhibiting higher radiotracer accumulation correlated with superior growth inhibition and extended survival in animal models. This approach lays the groundwork for patient stratification in nanotherapy trials, enabling early identification of responders and guiding personalised treatment regimens.

Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery and Imaging Technologies publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in nanoparticle-based drug delivery and imaging technologies across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect: Passive accumulation of nanoparticles in leaky tumour vasculature due to nanoscale size and poor lymphatic drainage.

Theranostics: Combined therapeutic and diagnostic modality within a single nanoparticle platform to enable real-time monitoring of treatment delivery and response.

Radiolabelling: Attachment of radioactive isotopes to nanoparticles for non-invasive in vivo imaging using PET or SPECT.

Photothermal therapy (PTT): Conversion of light energy, typically near-infrared, into heat by nanoparticles to induce localised tumour cell death.

Renal clearance: Elimination of nanoparticles from the body via the kidneys, often achieved by designing sub-5 nm hydrophilic and neutrally charged structures.

References

1. NIR-IIb fluorescence antiangiogenesis copper nano-reaper for enhanced synergistic cancer therapy. Journal of Nanobiotechnology (2024).
2. Biodegradable and Renal Clearable Inorganic Nanoparticles. Advanced Science (2015).
3. Radiolabelling of nanomaterials for medical imaging and therapy. Chemical Society Reviews (2021).
4. Nanoreporter PET predicts the efficacy of anti-cancer nanotherapy. Nature Communications (2016).
5. Nuclear imaging of liposomal drug delivery systems: A critical review of radiolabelling methods and applications in nanomedicine. Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews (2019).