Ella G. Lambert , Sara Romanazzo , Peter L.H. Newman , Kristopher A. Kilian
{"title":"Engineering tissue patterning in human stem cell-based embryo models","authors":"Ella G. Lambert , Sara Romanazzo , Peter L.H. Newman , Kristopher A. Kilian","doi":"10.1016/j.addr.2025.115765","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.addr.2025.115765","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Human embryonic development is challenging to study in vitro as animal models inadequately represent human biology, while use of natural human embryos is both ethically and technically limited. Stem cell-based embryo models (SCBEMs) have emerged as a powerful alternative, enabling faithful recapitulation of early human development. However, current approaches predominantly rely on stochastic self-organisation with globally delivered signals, producing variable and often non-recapitulative structures. This review addresses this gap by introducing the first engineering-anchored taxonomy of human SCBEMs, systematically organizing the literature by their underlying technical platform rather than biological outcome alone. We demonstrate how five key engineering approaches – micropatterning, biomaterials, microwells, microfluidics, and dynamic culture – constrain morpho-and-histogenic patterning to determine developmental fidelity. We identify metabolic constraints limiting current models to ∼1 mm diameter as the primary bottleneck and demonstrate how vascular engineering and perfusion systems offer solutions. Finally, we propose standardisation metrics linking technical parameters to biological outcomes and establish an ethical framework defined by engineering choices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7254,"journal":{"name":"Advanced drug delivery reviews","volume":"229 ","pages":"Article 115765"},"PeriodicalIF":17.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145784473","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yanchen Li, Roman A. Barmin, Rui Zhang, Fabian Kiessling, Twan Lammers, Roger M. Pallares
{"title":"Clinical translation and landscape of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles","authors":"Yanchen Li, Roman A. Barmin, Rui Zhang, Fabian Kiessling, Twan Lammers, Roger M. Pallares","doi":"10.1016/j.addr.2025.115756","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.addr.2025.115756","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Since their initial clinical approval as liver imaging agents nearly three decades ago, superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) have evolved beyond diagnostic imaging to include also therapeutic and theranostic applications. Their clinical utility in both diagnosis and therapy depends on a combination of intrinsic physicochemical properties and in vivo behaviors, such as biodistribution and pharmacokinetics. These attributes enable specific applications, depending on the mechanisms of action and route of administration. For example, nanoparticle degradation can support anemia treatments. Tissue-specific retention in fenestrated organs and pathological tissues after systemic administration allows for imaging of the liver and inflammation sites, and image-guided therapy. Local delivery enables applications such as sentinel lymph node mapping and localized tumor thermal ablation. At the same time, these properties also constrain SPIONs from broader use as universal nanodiagnostic and theranostic agents. This review provides an overview of the current clinical landscape of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles, identifies shared features that have facilitated their successful translation, and discusses the critical challenges that must be addressed to enable wider clinical adoption.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7254,"journal":{"name":"Advanced drug delivery reviews","volume":"229 ","pages":"Article 115756"},"PeriodicalIF":17.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145689332","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Zhenyang Xu , Tayebeh Mousavi , Xiaoli Liu , Anita Ahmadi Birjandi , Maya Thanou , Haiming Fan , Mark Ainslie
{"title":"Recent advances in numerical simulation of magnetically guided drug delivery systems and applications","authors":"Zhenyang Xu , Tayebeh Mousavi , Xiaoli Liu , Anita Ahmadi Birjandi , Maya Thanou , Haiming Fan , Mark Ainslie","doi":"10.1016/j.addr.2025.115745","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.addr.2025.115745","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Magnetically guided drug delivery (MGDD) employs magnetic forces acting on magnetically responsive drug delivery systems (DDS) to direct therapeutic agents toward diseased regions, thereby enhancing local drug accumulation while minimising systemic side effects. Numerical simulation, grounded in the physical principles governing MGDD, provides an efficient computational framework for modelling and visualising these processes, thereby accelerating progress in MGDD research. This review comprehensively summarises recent advances in the application of numerical simulation to MGDD, including magnet design and analysis, multiscale modelling of DDS transport processes at macroscopic, mesoscopic, and microscopic scales, and DDS design and evaluation. In addition, the integration of optimisation algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI) with numerical simulation for MGDD is discussed. Finally, future perspectives are presented, emphasising the development of high-fidelity, multiscale, and AI-driven simulation frameworks to accelerate clinical translation toward personalised, efficient MGDD-based therapeutic systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7254,"journal":{"name":"Advanced drug delivery reviews","volume":"229 ","pages":"Article 115745"},"PeriodicalIF":17.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145673902","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xinyu Gou , Shi He , Bilan Wang , Lingli Zhang , Yongzhong Cheng , Xiang Gao
{"title":"Integrating PROTAC-based targeted protein degradation with nanodelivery systems to overcome cancer therapeutic resistance","authors":"Xinyu Gou , Shi He , Bilan Wang , Lingli Zhang , Yongzhong Cheng , Xiang Gao","doi":"10.1016/j.addr.2025.115755","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.addr.2025.115755","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Tumor drug resistance is a major challenge in cancer treatment, as traditional chemotherapeutic agents and small molecule inhibitors often become ineffective in targeting tumors due to drug resistance. Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras (PROTAC) technology, as a novel protein degradation method, provides a new insight into overcoming drug resistance in tumors with the assistance of nanodelivery systems. PROTAC is able to degrade rather than merely inhibit tumor-associated proteins, thus avoiding drug resistance caused by gene mutations, protein overexpression and conformational changes, demonstrating significant advantages in overcoming tumor resistance. First, PROTAC eliminates the biological activity of the target protein by directly degrading it, thus overcoming the limitation of traditional inhibitors, which are susceptible to mutations of the structure and activity of the target protein. Second, PROTAC molecules are highly versatile and flexible, and can target proteins that are difficult to target with conventional drugs, including enzymatically inactive proteins, transcription factors and oncogenic protein complexes. In addition, PROTAC technology, with the booster of nanodelivery systems, can effectively improve solubility and bioavailability, enhance targeting and delivery efficiency while improving its stability, and can be combined with other therapeutic methods to further enhance the therapeutic effect. The versatility of PROTAC makes it a highly promising option for overcoming tumor drug resistance, and their effectiveness has been validated in a variety of cancers, including breast cancer, prostate cancer, and leukemia. In this paper, we will review the recent progress of PROTAC technology in overcoming tumor drug resistance and briefly summarize the advantages and challenges of PROTAC technology combined with nanodelivery system, hoping to provide valuable references for researchers in related fields.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7254,"journal":{"name":"Advanced drug delivery reviews","volume":"229 ","pages":"Article 115755"},"PeriodicalIF":17.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145717895","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Haram Nah , Ashlin R. Michell , Kerry M. Rogy, Owen J. Lally, Salman R. Khetani
{"title":"Spatial patterning strategies for liver tissue engineering: Biofabrication technologies and applications","authors":"Haram Nah , Ashlin R. Michell , Kerry M. Rogy, Owen J. Lally, Salman R. Khetani","doi":"10.1016/j.addr.2025.115737","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.addr.2025.115737","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The liver is composed of hepatocytes and non-parenchymal cells arranged in precise spatial patterns that enable more than 500 metabolic, synthetic, and detoxification functions. Replicating this hierarchical structure and dynamic multicellular organization is essential for applications in drug development and regenerative medicine. Here, we review biofabrication strategies that encode spatial control in engineered liver tissues. We begin with native hepatic architecture and cell sources, then evaluate self-assembled and engineered aggregates, soft lithography, electrospun scaffolds, three-dimensional bioprinting, and microfluidic systems in terms of their ability to capture physiological features such as zonation, polarity, and vascular or biliary networks. Hybrid approaches that integrate multiple modalities to enhance complexity and function are also highlighted. We next discuss how human liver models are advancing drug metabolism and toxicity screening, disease modeling, and potential therapeutic applications. Finally, we examine current limitations and future directions, emphasizing challenges of scalability, reproducibility, and standardization, along with emerging opportunities in volumetric bioprinting, machine learning–guided design, and regulatory qualification of liver microphysiological systems. Collectively, engineered liver models are poised to play an increasingly critical role in bridging in vitro and in vivo applications as advances in biofabrication bring them closer to clinical and regulatory translation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7254,"journal":{"name":"Advanced drug delivery reviews","volume":"228 ","pages":"Article 115737"},"PeriodicalIF":17.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145515994","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Living materials for gas therapy","authors":"Pei Pan , Tao Liu , Lu Zhang , Xian-Zheng Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.addr.2025.115738","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.addr.2025.115738","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The clinical translation of gas therapy, which employs medical gases such as nitric oxide (NO), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen sulfide (H<sub>2</sub>S), hydrogen (H<sub>2</sub>), and sulfur dioxide (SO<sub>2</sub>), is mainly limited by the absence of delivery systems that can provide precise spatiotemporal control in complex pathological environments. While conventional nanocarriers have improved in gas delivery, they often suffer from limited biocompatibility, poor targeting, and insufficient responsiveness. Recently, living materials emerged as a promising and innovative paradigm. Engineered from biological entities such as bacteria, cells, and algae, or their biomimetic derivatives, these materials inherently exhibit bioactive functions, including disease tropism, immunomodulation, and dynamic responsiveness to microenvironmental cues, thereby enabling intelligent gas generation and controlled release. This review systematically summarizes recent advances in living material–based gas therapy, with emphasis on classification according to biological origin and engineering design principles. We further discuss their mechanisms, including genetic programming for autonomous gas production and hybrid architectures for stimuli-responsive release, and highlight their therapeutic efficacy in cancer, inflammatory diseases, and tissue regeneration. Finally, we outline the major challenges in biosafety and scalability, and provide forward-looking perspectives on the integration of synthetic biology and multimodal therapeutic strategies to advance the field of precision gas medicine.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7254,"journal":{"name":"Advanced drug delivery reviews","volume":"228 ","pages":"Article 115738"},"PeriodicalIF":17.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145515997","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Italo Rodrigo Calori, Ana Paula Pereira Guimaraes, Antonio Claudio Tedesco
{"title":"3D printing in theranostic applications","authors":"Italo Rodrigo Calori, Ana Paula Pereira Guimaraes, Antonio Claudio Tedesco","doi":"10.1016/j.addr.2025.115733","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.addr.2025.115733","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Additive manufacturing has revolutionized conventional fabrication techniques, enabling the design of advanced theranostic platforms that integrates diagnostic and therapeutic functions within a single device. In this context, three-dimensional (3D) printing has emerged as a key technology for fabricating sophisticated theranostic solutions capable of effectively integrating diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. This review summarizes the recent use of 3D printing technologies in the field of theranostic, providing a comprehensive understanding of the state of the art and future perspectives. This review explores the design and fabrication of theranostic devices using a range of extrusion-based and light-based printing techniques including fused deposition modeling, stereolithography, and selective laser sintering. Furthermore, this review discuss the current challenges and limitations of the implementation of these technologies. Overall, this review provides insights into the potential and challenges of 3D printing for the advancement of theranostic strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7254,"journal":{"name":"Advanced drug delivery reviews","volume":"228 ","pages":"Article 115733"},"PeriodicalIF":17.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145484677","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Adebimpe Adefolaju , David E. Kram , Breanna Mann , Shawn Hingtgen , Andrew Satterlee
{"title":"Informing development of brain cancer therapies within \"preclinical trials\" using ex vivo patient tumors","authors":"Adebimpe Adefolaju , David E. Kram , Breanna Mann , Shawn Hingtgen , Andrew Satterlee","doi":"10.1016/j.addr.2025.115736","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.addr.2025.115736","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Brain and nervous system cancers account for only ∼1.3% of new cancer diagnoses but rank ninth in US cancer mortality, a disparity partly driven by limited therapeutic options and inadequate preclinical models that misrepresent a drug’s therapeutic potential. Considering that about 90% of drugs validated with these models fail in late-phase clinical trials, it is imperative to further scrutinize drugs in preclinical settings that better model relevant aspects of disease and treatment response. New paradigms must account for challenges unique to brain cancers such as lack of relevant biomarkers and both intra-disease and patient to patient heterogeneity, which cause treatments to be effective in a suboptimal proportion of the population. In this review, we investigate the current brain cancer drug development landscape, introduce a growing field of functional precision medicine, and propose the inclusion of “preclinical trials” that interrogate the effects of new therapies and drug delivery mechanisms on living patient tumors <em>ex vivo.</em> These preclinical trials respond to the FDA’s recent announcement to phase out and replace live animal testing with human-based lab models. Functional models can address heterogeneity and biomarker identification through accrual of living patient tumor tissue, preclinical drug sensitivity testing, identification of non-responders and resistance mechanisms, and development of functional predictive biomarkers and companion diagnostics. Because functional precision medicine stratification of clinical trials candidates has shown improved clinical trials outcome, using this paradigm earlier in drug development could enhance clinical trial success, leading to more FDA-approved drugs and therapeutic options for brain cancer patients.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7254,"journal":{"name":"Advanced drug delivery reviews","volume":"228 ","pages":"Article 115736"},"PeriodicalIF":17.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145546274","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pooria Lesani , Iman Zare , Mansi Khetarpaul , Zufu Lu , Azadeh Ghaee , Hala Zreiqat
{"title":"Red to near-infrared carbon dots: synthesis, cellular interactions, drug loading, and therapeutic applications","authors":"Pooria Lesani , Iman Zare , Mansi Khetarpaul , Zufu Lu , Azadeh Ghaee , Hala Zreiqat","doi":"10.1016/j.addr.2025.115742","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.addr.2025.115742","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The emergence of nanoparticles (NPs) has profoundly revolutionized targeted drug delivery systems, overcoming numerous limitations associated with conventional therapies. Red to near-infrared (NIR) emissive carbon dots (RNCDs) have emerged as promising theranostic candidates owing to their unique combination of superior photophysical properties, including high quantum yield (QY) and photostability, and excellent biocompatibility. This review provides a comprehensive examination of the synthesis methods of RNCDs, with a particular focus on the bottom-up approach. We explore how variations in precursor selection, solvent type, heteroatom doping, and thermal conditions influence the photophysical characteristics of RNCDs. Furthermore, we have analysed strategies for drug loading, targeting mechanisms (both passive and active), and cellular uptake pathways, highlighting methodologies employed to enhance therapeutic efficacy. The review also assesses the specific applications of RNCDs in cancer therapy and microbial infection treatments, focusing on their biocompatibility, reduced systemic phototoxicity, and minimal autofluorescence interference. Lastly, we discuss controlled drug release mechanisms, including pH-responsive, redox-sensitive, and photothermal systems, that enable controlled release profiles.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7254,"journal":{"name":"Advanced drug delivery reviews","volume":"228 ","pages":"Article 115742"},"PeriodicalIF":17.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145575436","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yu Wang , Cheng Chen , Xin Xiao , Yajing Kang , Jinhan He , Ana Beloqui , Yining Xu
{"title":"Advanced oral therapies for colorectal cancer via nanomedicine and microbiota modulation","authors":"Yu Wang , Cheng Chen , Xin Xiao , Yajing Kang , Jinhan He , Ana Beloqui , Yining Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.addr.2025.115741","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.addr.2025.115741","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common malignancy and the second most lethal cancer worldwide and has become a significant burden on global healthcare. The primary treatments for CRC include surgery, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy. However, these approaches face several limitations, such as invasive administration, poor patient compliance, systemic toxicity, drug resistance, and recurrence. Thus, alternative therapeutic strategies to overcome these challenges are urgently needed. Oral administration represents a promising approach for CRC treatment because of its noninvasive nature, safety, ease of self-administration, and high patient compliance. Moreover, when applied in CRC treatment, oral therapies can potentially increase therapeutic efficacy and reduce systemic toxicity via local treatment. Furthermore, the unique pathophysiological features of CRC, such as the overexpression of certain receptors and dysbiosis, present valuable opportunities for the development of advanced oral therapies. This review focuses on cutting-edge oral therapies for CRC, including nanomedicine-based and bacteria-modulating strategies. These approaches show significant promise for improving therapeutic outcomes and can be combined with existing treatment modalities to improve efficacy and minimize adverse effects. Additionally, we provide critical perspectives on the challenges and future perspectives of these strategies for CRC management. This review aims to provide novel insights into the design and advancement of oral therapies, paving the way for more effective and patient-friendly CRC treatments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":7254,"journal":{"name":"Advanced drug delivery reviews","volume":"228 ","pages":"Article 115741"},"PeriodicalIF":17.6,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145567655","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}