Polymer-drug conjugates
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Polymer-drug conjugates are nano-medicine products under development for cancer diagnosis and treatment.[1] There are more than 10 anticancer conjugates in clinical development. Polymer-drug conjugates are drug molecules held in polymer molecules, which act as the delivery system for the drug. Polymer drugs have passed multidrug resistance (MDR) testing and hence may become a viable treatment for endocrine-related cancers. A cocktail of pendant drugs could be delivered by water-soluble polymer platforms. The physical and chemical properties of the polymers used in polymer-drug conjugates are specially synthesized to flow through the kidneys and liver without being filtered out, allowing the drugs to be used more effectively. Traditional polymers used in polymer-drug conjugates can be degraded through enzymatic activity and acidity. Polymers are now being synthesized to be sensitive to specific enzymes that are apparent in diseased tissue. The drugs remain attached to the polymer and are not activated until the enzymes associated with the diseased tissue are present. This process significantly minimizes damage to healthy tissue.[2][3]
Most typical deliver of drugs is through the mouth, skin, transmucosal and inhalation. Drug polymer conjugate follow these to some degree, but they are usually administered via injection. Many enzymes in the body decompose the drug if the drug is taken by other means.[4]