What are drug delivery systems?
Drug delivery systems describe technologies that carry drugs into or throughout the body. These technologies include the method of delivery, such as a pill that you swallow or a vaccine that is injected. Drug delivery systems can also describe the way that drugs are ‘packaged’—like a micelle or a nanoparticle—that protects the drug from degradation and allows it to travel wherever it needs to go in the body. The field of drug delivery has advanced dramatically in the past few decades, and even greater innovations are anticipated in the coming years. Biomedical engineers have contributed substantially to our understanding of the physiological barriers to efficient drug delivery and have also contributed to the development of several new modes of drug delivery that have entered clinical practice.
Yet, with all of this progress, many disease treatments still have unacceptable side effects. Side effects occur because drugs interact with healthy organs or tissues, and this can limit our ability to treat many diseases such as cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and infectious diseases. Continuing advances in this space will help to facilitate the targeted delivery of drugs while also mitigating their side effects.
How are drug delivery systems used in current medical practice?
Clinicians historically have attempted to administer interventions to areas of the body directly affected by disease. Instead of delivering drugs systemically, which affects the whole body, some drugs can be administered locally, which decrease side effects and drug toxicity can while maximizing a treatment’s impact. A topical (used on the skin) antibacterial ointment for the treatment of a localized infection or a cortisone injection to relieve pain in a joint can avoid some of the systemic side effects of these medications. There are other ways to achieve targeted drug delivery, but some medications can only be given systemically.
