Proceedings of the International Symposium on Polymer Therapeutics - Recent Progress in Clinics and Future Prospects, held July 13-14, 2001, in Nara, Japan. The technology of polymer science has developed considerably during the past half-century, and this volume describes some of the aspects of this technology that will have a great impact in the future. Among these advances, for example, are gene delivery to specific disease sites and carrier polymers that respond to a stimulus or particular environment. Cancer targeted drug delivery is another focused area of this volume because of the important nature of EPR-effect of polymer drugs in tumor. Included are discussions of as many examples as possible of polymer drugs that have achieved, or are close to clinical use. The concept of "Polymer drugs" here is limited to primarily injectable and water-soluble agents, although also covered are some drugs in micellar form or liposomes. This book is intended for students and researchers in the field of pharmacology who have particular interests in drug delivery, targeting, and formulation, as well as for clinicians such as oncologists who are interested in the field. People who work at regulatory agencies should also be aware such that drugs with great potential are being developed and will be beneficial to many patients, as well as to health insurance agencies because of improved cost effectiveness.

Polymeric materials are now playing an increasingly important role in pharmaceuticals, as well as in sensing devices, in situ prostheses and probes, and microparticle diagnostic agents. This new volume consists of twenty-two recent research-based reports on the developments in these areas of pharmaceutical and biomaterials technology. The reports w

With contributions by numerous experts

The utilization of polymers in medicine has become a reality in the last decade. This book is a concise presentation of the fundamentals, applications, and methods of optimization of polymeric drugs and polymeric drug delivery systems for medicinal purposes. The basic rationale for the use of polymeric drugs and polymer delivery systems is the possibility to alter the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of therapeutic agents so as to maintain an adequate therapeutic environment at the site of disfunction for an extended period of time. The primary objectives for using polymeric drugs and polymeric drug delivery systems are to introduce new and efficient methods of drug administration, to improve efficacy and patient compliance, to decrease toxicity, and to ensure safety. The following factors influence the design and performance of polymers for medicinal applications: disease, drug properties, type of therapy (acute or chronic), physiology of the patient, administration route, and the site requiring therapy.

Applications of Polymers in Drug Delivery, Second Edition, provides a comprehensive resource for anyone looking to understand how polymeric materials can be applied to current, new, and emerging drug delivery applications. Polymers play a crucial role in modulating drug delivery and have been fundamental in the successful development of many novel drug delivery systems. This book describes the development of polymeric systems, ranging from conventional dosage forms to the most recent smart systems. Regulatory and intellectual property aspects as well as the clinical applicability of polymeric drug delivery systems are also discussed. The chapters are organized by specific delivery route, offering methodical and detailed coverage throughout. This second edition has been thoroughly revised to include the latest developments in the field. This is an essential book for researchers, scientists, and advanced students, in polymer science, drug delivery, pharmacology/pharmaceuticals, materials science, tissue engineering, nanomedicine, chemistry, and biology. In industry, this book supports scientists, R&D, and other professionals, working on polymers for drug delivery applications. Explains how polymers can be prepared and utilized for all major drug delivery routes Presents the latest advances, including drug targeting, polymeric micelles and polymersomes, and the delivery of biologicals and nucleic acid therapeutics Includes appendices with in-depth information on pharmaceutical properties of polymers and regulatory aspects

Polymer-Drug Conjugates: Linker Chemistry, Protocols and Applications discusses important concepts, fundamentals and prospective applications of ‘Linker Chemistry’ in a clear-and-concise manner. The book provides vital information on chemical entities binding with the drug-polymer complex for targeted drug delivery systems. It highlights roles and significance, different classes and synthetic protocols as well as mechanisms of chemical bond formation in drug-polymer conjugation in drug delivery, also offering insights into the mechanism of polymer interaction with linker and drug molecules by biodegradable chemical bonding. The protocol of binding with drug molecules is clearly explained and justified with case studies, helping researchers and advanced students in the pharmaceutical sciences understand fundamentals involved and related aspects in molecule designing for effective therapeutic benefits. Covers mechanism, protocol and therapeutic significance of Polymer-Drug Conjugates Outlines updated methods and techniques to enumerate conjugation with related case studies Includes comprehensive compilation of marketed and clinical trial drugs conjugated with polymers or linkers