Nanopharmaceuticals

Nanopharmaceuticals are pharmaceutical products that use nanoscale technologies to improve the delivery and performance of therapeutic agents. They typically rely on carriers or formulations ranging from about 1 to 1000 nanometers to enhance solubility, stability, pharmacokinetics, biodistribution, and targeting. By altering size, surface properties, and release characteristics, nanopharmaceuticals aim to increase efficacy while reducing systemic toxicity.

Common nanocarriers include lipid-based systems such as liposomes and solid lipid nanoparticles; polymeric nanoparticles made from materials such as PLGA; inorganic nanoparticles like gold or silica; dendrimers; nanosuspensions and nanoemulsions. In addition to drug delivery, nanopharmaceuticals underpin mRNA vaccines, which use lipid nanoparticles to protect and transport mRNA into cells.

Mechanisms of action encompass passive targeting via the enhanced permeability and retention effect in tumors, active targeting through surface ligands, and controlled release profiles. They can improve oral bioavailability, enable crossing biological barriers such as the blood-brain barrier, and enable combination therapies or sustained dosing.

Clinical status and examples vary by platform. Liposomal doxorubicin (Doxil) is a longstanding approved nanopharmaceutical, and albumin-bound paclitaxel (Abraxane) is another widely used nanoparticle formulation. Liposomal irinotecan (Onivyde) is approved for pancreatic cancer. The rapid development of lipid nanoparticles also underpins several vaccines, notably improving delivery of mRNA.

Challenges include safety and toxicity assessment, potential immunogenicity, protein corona formation, biodistribution uncertainties, and manufacturing and quality-control hurdles. Regulatory evaluation requires detailed physicochemical characterization, robust PK/PD data, and long-term safety studies. Despite challenges, nanopharmaceuticals hold promise for targeted therapy, precision medicine, and expanded therapeutic windows across oncology, neurology, infectious disease, and vaccines.