Radachlorin-Containing Microparticles for Photodynamic Therapy.

Reducing the undesirable systemic effect of photodynamic therapy (PDT) can be achieved by incorporating a photosensitizer in microparticles (MPs). This study is devoted to the preparation of biocompatible biodegradable MPs with the inclusion of the natural photosensitizer Radachlorin (RС) and an assessment of the possibility of their use for PDT. RC-containing MPs (RС MPs) with poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) copolymer (PLGA) matrix were prepared by a double emulsion solvent evaporation methods.

Nanoparticle Beacons: Supersensitive Smart Materials with On/Off-Switchable Affinity to Biomedical Targets.

Smart materials that can switch between different states under the influence of chemical triggers are highly demanded in biomedicine, where specific responsiveness to biomarkers is imperative for precise diagnostics and therapy. Superior selectivity of drug delivery to malignant cells may be achieved with the nanoagents that stay "inert" until "activation" by the characteristic profile of microenvironment cues ( tumor metabolites, angiogenesis factors, microRNA/DNA, ). However, despite a wide variety and functional complexity of smart material designs, their real-life applications are hindered by very limited sensitivity to inputs.

Antibody-directed metal-organic framework nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery.

Nanosized metal-organic frameworks (nMOFs) have shown great promise as high-capacity carriers for a variety of applications. For biomedicine, numerous nMOFs have been proposed that can transport virtually any molecular drug, can finely tune their payload release profile, etc. However, perspectives of their applications for the targeted drug delivery remain relatively unclear.