CANCER NANOMEDICINE: UTILIZING THE ENHANCED PERMEABILITY AND RETENTION (EPR) EFFECT TO DELIVER HIGH PAYLOADS OF CHEMOTHERAPEUTIC AGENTS DIRECTLY TO TUMOR SITES

Abstract

The enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect serves as the primary scientific basis which supports nanomedicine methods for cancer drug delivery. The EPR effect which Matsumura and Maeda first described in 1986 occurs because solid tumors develop abnormal blood vessels and do not function properly to drain lymphatic fluids. The study investigates how biological mechanisms of EPR effect to control nanoparticle platforms show different clinical application results. The study investigates how passive EPR-based targeting is improved through three methods which include active ligand-mediated targeting and stimuli-responsive release mechanisms and surface engineering techniques that use PEGylating and charge modulation. The analysis shows that EPR heterogeneity between different tumor types and patient groups together with immunological nanoparticle clearance and tumor microenvironment obstacles create a major difference between preclinical research results and actual clinical outcomes. The study evaluates new methods for improving EPR utilization which include vascular normalisation methods and ultrasound-based permeation techniques and artificial intelligence-based formulation design methods. The study ends with a perspective which describes how EPR-based nanomedicine will develop into customized cancer treatment.