State-of-the-Art Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery and Release

Dear Colleagues,

In the past decade, nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems have gained increasing interest because of their ability to overcome the well-known drawbacks of systemic drug administration, such as poor patient compliance, and severe side effects in non-target tissues and organs.

Nanosystems in the form of nanoparticles, nanocomposites, nanogels, inclusion complexes, and stimuli-responsive nanohydrogels offer multiple advantages, such as localized drug delivery, target-specificity, and extended and triggered drug release, thereby improving efficacy, stability, and tolerability of active agents.

To facilitate the translation of nanosystems to clinical practice, a better understanding of their interactions with the biological milieu at different levels (e.g., cells, tissues), their bio-distribution, and their fate is of paramount importance. For instance, bioengineered three-dimensional organ or tissue models have been introduced as screening tools for nanosystems, being more cost-effective and of reduced ethical impact than animal tests.

This Special Issue aims to provide readers with a snapshot of the new design strategies for smart and targeted drug delivery nanosystems, as well as of the advanced testing tools based on bio-engineered tissue and organ mimics.

We welcome the submission of original research articles and short communications, as well as reviews, mini-reviews, and systematic review articles that cover, but are not limited to, the following topics:

1. Nanosystem design and characterization.
2. Surface or bulk functionalized nanosystems for active targeting.
3. Stimuli-responsive nanosystems for triggered drug delivery.
4. Safety, stability, biodistribution, tolerability, and fate of nanosystems.
5. Bioengineered three-dimensional models for nanosystem testing.
6. Regulatory aspects of nanosystem introduction into clinical practice.

Dr. Monica Boffito
Dr. Clara Mattu
Prof. Dr. Gianluca Ciardelli
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nanomaterials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.