Leverage Physiology for Smart Drug Delivery

Abstract: Spurred by recent advances in materials chemistry, molecular pharmaceutics and nanobiotechnology, stimuli-responsive "smart" systems offer opportunities for precisely delivering drugs in dose-, spatial- and temporal-controlled manners. In this talk, I will discuss our ongoing efforts in using physiological signals, such as blood sugar level, enzyme activity and ATP gradient for on-demand drug delivery in a programmed manner. I will first present the glucose-responsive synthetic systems for biomimetic delivery of insulin for diabetes treatment. Bio-responsive transcutaneous microneedle patches will be emphasized. I will further discuss programmable delivery of anticancer therapeutics, the release of which can be activated in the tumor microenvironment or subcellular environment. Our latest studies on the local delivery of immune checkpoint inhibitors for enhanced cancer immunotherapy will be specifically introduced.