Application of Dendrimers in Anticancer Diagnostics and Therapy
Zuzanna Bober, Dorota Bartusik‐Aebisher, David Aebisher
Abstract
The application of dendrimeric constructs in medical diagnostics and therapeutics is increasing. Dendrimers have attracted attention due to their compact, spherical three-dimensional structures with surfaces that can be modified by the attachment of various drugs, hydrophilic or hydrophobic groups, or reporter molecules. In the literature, many modified dendrimer systems with various applications have been reported, including drug and gene delivery systems, biosensors, bioimaging contrast agents, tissue engineering, and therapeutic agents. Dendrimers are used for the delivery of macromolecules, miRNAs, siRNAs, and many other various biomedical applications, and they are ideal carriers for bioactive molecules. In addition, the conjugation of dendrimers with antibodies, proteins, and peptides allows for the design of vaccines with highly specific and predictable properties, and the role of dendrimers as carrier systems for vaccine antigens is increasing. In this work, we will focus on a review of the use of dendrimers in cancer diagnostics and therapy. Dendrimer-based nanosystems for drug delivery are commonly based on polyamidoamine dendrimers (PAMAM) that can be modified with drugs and contrast agents. Moreover, dendrimers can be successfully used as conjugates that deliver several substances simultaneously. The potential to develop dendrimers with multifunctional abilities has served as an impetus for the design of new molecular platforms for medical diagnostics and therapeutics.