Breaking the niche: multidimensional nanotherapeutics for tumor microenvironment modulation

Most of the current antitumor therapeutics were developed targeting the cancer cells only. Unfortunately, in the majority of tumors, this single-dimensional therapy is found to be ineffective. Advanced research has shown that cancer is a multicellular disorder. The tumor microenvironment (TME), whic...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inDrug delivery and translational research Vol. 13; no. 1; pp. 105 - 134
Main Authors Swetha, K. Laxmi, Maravajjala, Kavya Sree, Li, Shyh-Dar, Singh, Manu Smriti, Roy, Aniruddha
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published New York Springer US 2023
Subjects
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biomedicine
Pharmaceutical Sciences/Technology
Review Article
Nanoparticles
Tumor microenvironment
Drug resistance
Tumor targeting
Multidimensional therapy
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Most of the current antitumor therapeutics were developed targeting the cancer cells only. Unfortunately, in the majority of tumors, this single-dimensional therapy is found to be ineffective. Advanced research has shown that cancer is a multicellular disorder. The tumor microenvironment (TME), which is made by a complex network of the bulk tumor cells and other supporting cells, plays a crucial role in tumor progression. Understanding the importance of the TME in tumor growth, different treatment modalities have been developed targeting these supporting cells. Recent clinical results suggest that simultaneously targeting multiple components of the tumor ecosystem with drug combinations can be highly effective. This type of “multidimensional” therapy has a high potential for cancer treatment. However, tumor-specific delivery of such multi-drug combinations remains a challenge. Nanomedicine could be utilized for the tumor-targeted delivery of such multidimensional therapeutics. In this review, we first give a brief overview of the major components of TME. We then highlight the latest developments in nanoparticle-based combination therapies, where one drug targets cancer cells and other drug targets tumor-supporting components in the TME for a synergistic effect. We include the latest preclinical and clinical studies and discuss innovative nanoparticle-mediated targeting strategies. Graphical abstract
ISSN:2190-393X
2190-3948
DOI:10.1007/s13346-022-01194-7