SMART BIODEGRADABLE NANOCARRIERS FOR CONTROLLED AND SITE-SPECIFIC CANCER TREATMENT

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cancer is the second leading cause of death globally, following ischemic heart disease. As of 2020, cancer accounted for approximately 10 million deaths-equating one in six worldwide. Although many cancers can be cured if detected early, but conventional chemotherapy faces serious limitations, including systemic toxicity, poor selectivity, and damage to healthy tissues. These challenges have spurred the development of more targeted and effective therapeutic strategies. Biodegradable nanocarriers have emerged as a promising advancement in cancer therapy. By enabling site-specific drug delivery, they significantly reduce toxicity and resistance while maximizing the pharmacological action at the tumor site. Their biodegradable nature ensures that they break down into non-toxic by products within the body, offering additional biocompatibility advantages. However, the application of nanocarrier-based therapies presents its own set of challenges. Designing nanoparticles with the optimal size, shape, and appropriate inner and outer layers tailored to specific cancer types remains a complex task. Overcoming these obstacles requires advanced approaches, including the development of massively parallel pooled screening methods and other innovative research tools. Such strategies hold the potential to fine-tune nanocarrier systems for maximum therapeutic impact in future oncological treatments.