Addressing Drug Delivery Failures: The Potential of Functionalized Nano/Microcapsules

It seems that often excellent drugs are not as effective as they could be due to huge losses of drug molecules before they reach the target destination. The present mini-review attempts to look at ways to address this acute issue, creating Ehrlich's "magic bullets", by utilizing functionalized nano/microparticles for drug delivery. These nano/microcapsules have moieties on the external surface that prevent the capsules from accumulating in the wrong places and facilitate their transport to the correct destination, piercing cell membranes and releasing the drug cargo into the cells. Importantly, the drug payload must not be in contact with the environment before reaching the target.