Smart Micro- and Nanomaterials for Drug Delivery

Smart drug delivery at both the micro- and nanoscale is an evolving field with numerous potential applications. It has the potential to revolutionize drug therapy by making treatments more effective, reducing side effects, and improving patient outcomes. This book presents a comprehensive review of the most recent studies on smart micro- and nanomaterials with a focus on their “smart” activity for formation of targeted and responsive drug-delivery carriers. This volume: Introduces readers to the fundamentals of these the micro- and nanoscale materials as well as approaches to smart drug delivery and drug delivery systems. Covers polymers, metals, and composite materials as well as quantum dots and carbon nanotubes. Describes of all possible stimulated systems for drug delivery such as enzyme-responsive, small molecules-responsive, thermo-responsive, pH-responsive, electric field-responsive, magnetic field-responsive, light-responsive, ultrasound-responsive, and reductive environment responsive. Offers a critical perspective on the future scope of smart drug delivery systems. This reference work is written to support researchers in the fields of materials engineering and biotechnology with the goal of improving the diagnosis and treatment of disease and patient quality of life.