Polymeric Nanocarriers for Targeted Drug Delivery in Cancer and Infectious Diseases
A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Applications".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 51
Special Issue Editors
Interests: biofilm; polymer synthesis; nanocomposites
Interests: biomaterial; nanocarriers; polymers; antibiotic resistance; the effects of natural or synthetic molecules on fungi and bacteria; Staphylococcus aureus; Candida albicans
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Targeted drug delivery using polymeric nanoparticles has emerged as a transformative strategy in the treatment of complex diseases such as cancer and bacterial infections. By harnessing the structural flexibility, biocompatibility, and tuneable surface properties of natural and synthetic polymers, nanodrug delivery systems can significantly enhance the selectivity, efficacy, and pharmacokinetic profiles of therapeutic agents while minimizing systemic toxicity.
In oncology, polymeric nanocarriers like PLGA, PEGylated nanoparticles, dendrimers, and micelles have shown promise in delivering chemotherapeutics, siRNA, and immunomodulators directly to tumour cells via passive and active targeting. In infectious disease management, especially biofilm-associated bacterial infections, nanoparticles can disrupt protective microbial environments and deliver antimicrobial agents in a sustained and localized manner.
This Special Issue invites original research and comprehensive review articles on recent advances in nanoformulated polymeric drug delivery platforms, including formulation techniques, surface functionalization, targeted delivery strategies, stimuli-responsive release, in vivo imaging, and translational/clinical applications. Studies combining computational modelling, AI-driven drug carrier design, and multi-omics integration for precision medicine are also welcome.
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Polymeric nanoparticles (PLGA, chitosan, PEG, etc.) for drug delivery.
- Ligand-targeted nanocarriers (antibodies, peptides, and aptamers).
- Nanoformulations for cancer therapy (chemo-, immuno-, and gene therapy).
- Polymeric nanocarriers for bacterial and biofilm-associated infections.
- Dual- or multi-drug-loaded polymer systems.
- Stimuli-responsive and smart polymeric systems (pH-, redox-, and enzyme-sensitive).
- Biodegradable polymers and toxicity assessment.
- Computational modelling and AI in nanocarrier design.
- Clinical translation and regulatory aspects of polymeric drug delivery.
- In vivo imaging and biodistribution studies of nanodrugs.
Dr. Chaitany Raorane
Dr. Vinit Raj
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. Polymers 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 2700 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.
Keywords
- polymeric nanoparticles
- targeted drug delivery
- molecular dynamics simulation
- cancer nanomedicine
- antibacterial nanocarriers
- biofilm disruption
- stimuli-responsive polymers
- PLGA nanoparticles
- nanocarrier surface modification
- tumour microenvironment targeting
- ligand-receptor-mediated delivery
- drug resistance
- nanotoxicology
- controlled release systems
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