Active targeting of nanoparticles: An innovative technology for drug delivery in cancer therapeutics

Abstract

In nanomedicines, currently a wide array of reported nanoparticle systems is being explored by targeting schemes which suggests great potential of targeted delivery to revolutionize cancer therapeutics. This review  gives insight into recent  challenges in modification of nanoparticle systems for enhanced cancer therapy  acknowledged by researchers to date and also outlines different major targeting strategies of nanoparticle systems that have been utilized for the delivery of therapeutics or imaging agents, targeting ligand and cross-linking agent to cancer  which was divided into three sections: 1) Angiogenesis associated targeting, 2) Uncontrolled cell proliferation targeting and 3) Tumor cell targeting. Keywords: nanoparticles, tumor cells, active targeting, targeting strategies, targeting ligands