Targeted Drug Delivery Systems: Bridging Nanotechnology, Precision Medicine, and Clinical Translation

Abstract

The targeted drug delivery system marks one of the biggest developments in pharmaceutical sciences since it
allows for organ-specific drug localization, controlled release, and, consequently, improved therapeutic efficacy
with concomitant decrease in systemic toxicity. A focused approach through passive mechanisms of drug delivery
under the control of the enhanced permeability and retention effect or active drug delivery under the control of
ligand-receptor interactions is systematically discussed in this review. Different delivery platforms from liposomes,
niosomes, polymeric nanoparticles, and hydrogels to biodegradable microspheres and microfluidic-based systems
are discussed concerning their design principles, fabrication methods, surface modification strategies, and kinetics
of drug release. With applications in cancer, infectious diseases, and neurological disorders, where the breakdown
of biological barriers and minimizing the adverse effects are essential, the clinical relevance of these delivery
systems is also discussed. Thereafter, this article reviews some of the major challenges to clinical translation of
these promising systems, such as toxicity, immunogenicity, biological barriers, scale of manufacture, regulatory
pathway, and interpatient variability. Trends of great interest that are being highlighted include responsive smart
carriers, theranostic platforms, personalized medicine, and artificial-intelligence-assisted formulation design.
Thus, it presents an integrated perspective on the nuances behind targeted drug delivery, the recent advancements,
limitations, and future trajectories of therapeutic systems, in an effort to bring to the fore safer and clinically
translatable therapeutic systems