CROSSLINKED MICELLES WITH TRANSIENTLY LINKED DRUGS - A VERSATILE DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM

The holy grail in the treatment of various diseases is to deliver high doses of bioactive compounds with a high specificity to their target sites for maximum treatment efficacy, while minimising side effects to normal organs. Nanocarriers can accumulate extensively in solid tumour masses, inflammatory and infectious sites because of their size by virtue of the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect of the vasculature. To date, various (macro) molecular assemblies with nanoscale dimensions such as liposomes, polymer-aggregates, carbon nanotubes and polymeric micelles have been or are currently evaluated as drug delivery systems. However, traditional polymeric micelles have thus far not shown their real potential benefits in the clinic. The dominant origin is the instability of a (drug-loaded) micellar structure in the dynamic environment of the blood stream. In recent years, a novel micellar platform technology has been developed in our laboratories and is based on an innovative, highly tuneable class of polymers designed to improve the risk-benefit ratio of a broad range of therapeutic agents. The superior blood circulation, fully controlled drug release profile, good tumour accumulation and excellent biocompatibility are proven features. Since it is a custommade system, we have all tools available to develop this broadly applicable drug delivery technology towards actual medicinal products with an evident added value in the field of disease management.