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.