Disease-targeted delivery of nanoparticles is a topic at the forefront of drug delivery in Chemical Engineering. Many nanoparticles are intravenously injected and their therapeutic efficacy depends on the outcome of a number of underlying processes such as filtration in the kidneys, active phagocyte-mediated clearance in the liver, physical entrapment in lungs, and advection in tumor tissues. Each of these processes are linked by the vascular system, and as such, nanoparticles that are capable of navigating this highly complex biological network are more likely to yield a positive outcome.
Advances in intravenous nanoparticle-based drug delivery will require an understanding of the interplay between individual cells, individual organs, and the overall connectivity between each of the organ processes and the cells contained within. It is not currently possible to connect these length scales (i.e., nano/cell-scale, micro/organ-scale, and macro/organism-scale) and predict nanoparticle fate and function. However, we can work toward this goal by viewing and analyzing intravenous nanoparticle delivery in a similar way to a chemical plant by leveraging the unit process strategy successfully developed and popularized by chemical engineers.
This article discusses the use of organ-on-chip systems as a way to study isolated nanoparticle interactions with organ-like systems. It identifies limitations to this approach, key efforts that attempt to address these challenges to better describe the drug delivery process, and future directions.