Researchers review future directions of nanomedicine development

Announcing a new publication for BIO Integration journal. In this commentary the authors Phei Er Saw and Sangyong Jon from Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon, Korea, consider how the entry mechanism of nanoparticles into tumors determines the future direction of nanomedicine development.

Enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) allows nanoparticles to passively accumulate at tumor sites via gaps between endothelial cells (inter-endothelial gaps) in tumor-associated blood vessels that have abnormal structural integrity with pores ranging in size from submicron to micron.

The authors review future directions of nanomedicine development, focusing on the mechanism of nanoparticle entry into tumors instead of clinical transformation itself. Designing better nanoparticles to achieve efficient clinical transformation can be informed by a deep understanding of the mechanism of nanoparticle entry or the mode of action.