Dear Colleagues,

At present, cancer remains one of the greatest threats to public health. Millions of new cases are diagnosed every day, and it is expected that this trend will continue increasing in the coming years. Thanks to the progress in tumor biology characterization, great advances that have improved prognosis and patient quality of life have been achieved in the last several decades. The development of tumor-targeted drugs and smart delivery systems represents the pinnacle of those advances.

By analyzing the differences between healthy and cancer cells, researchers have been able to identify the 'soft spots' of the latter. Targeting these macromolecules and/or pathways leads to cancer cell malfunction and death, whereas healthy cells suffer from significantly less damage. The synthesis of novel drugs for the so-called targeted therapy has led to a reduction in the mortality rate of the most aggressive kinds of tumors (e.g., breast (HER2-targeted therapy), lung (EGFR inhibitors) or prostate cancer (PARP inhibitors)).

Parallel to the synthesis of tumor-targeted drugs, the advances in nanomedicine have allowed the development of novel, safer drug delivery systems. Nanoparticle-based drug delivery platforms allow the administration of those drugs with a high therapeutic potential but severe side effects. Therefore, smart drug delivery systems open the door to taking advantage of the cytotoxicity of traditional chemotherapeutic agents without damaging healthy tissues. Given the issues associated with the synthesis of novel drugs (high economic costs, long time required, inter-individual differences, etc.), the possibility of resorting to old drugs with well-known effects represents a great advantage. The use of biocompatible materials and functionalization to effectively target tumor cells leads to more efficient intratumoral delivery, thus reducing nanoparticles-induced side effects.

This Special Issue will focus on the latest advances in the field of tumor-targeted drugs and smart drug delivery systems. Both review and original research articles are welcome with the aim of provide a broad perspective on this topic. Our main goal is to provide an update of the latest results along with the expected challenges in the near future.

Dr. Ines Mármol
Guest Editor

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• personalized medicine
• cancer chemotherapy
• nanomedicine
• targeted therapy
• tumor microenvironment
• drug delivery system