A New Paradigm for Precision Drug Delivery in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Effective Transfer, Enhanced Retention, and Pathology-Targeting Treatment via Biomaterials and Engineered Platforms

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), encompassing Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract with increasing global prevalence. Despite advancements in IBD management, current therapies suffer from limitations, such as premature drug degradation, insufficient retention at inflamed sites, and systemic off-target effects, resulting in suboptimal efficacy and increased adverse events. To address these challenges, this review presents a new paradigm for precision drug delivery in IBD, highlighting three critical strategies: (1) effective transfer—ensuring efficient drug transport to the intestinal region by overcoming complex GI physiological barriers; (2) enhanced retention—prolonging drug residence at inflamed lesions to maximize local therapeutic effects; and (3) pathology-targeting treatment—executing therapeutic interventions based on IBD-associated pathological features to achieve localized treatment and minimize systemic toxicity. We emphasize the integration of advanced biomaterials and engineered therapeutic platforms as enablers of these strategies and illustrate their interactions with IBD pathophysiology. By analyzing recent breakthroughs in drug delivery systems and bioresponsive materials, this review outlines the design principles and translational potential of next-generation IBD therapeutics, offering insights for the development of more effective and patient-centric treatment approaches.