ABSTRACT
The current regimen of chemotherapy is far from satisfactory-its efficiency
is limited and patients suffer from serious side effects. Various drug delivery
devices have been under intensive investigation in the past few decades
in attempts to develop controlled and targeted methods of chemotherapy
administration. This article reviews the latest developments in nanoparticles of
biodegradable polymers for chemotherapy of cancer and other diseases such
as cardiovascular restenosis. The preliminary results obtained in the author’s
laboratory are used to demonstrate the concept. This review is written with
the belief that engineering, in particular, chemical engineering principles, can be
applied and further developed to solve the problems in the current practice of
chemotherapy and promote a new concept of chemotherapy-chemotherapy at
home.
