Towards targeted drugs and next generation of nanomedicines

• Anna Salvati,
• Silvia Giordani and
• Wolfgang J. Parak

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 598–601, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.41

• , Germany 10.3762/bjnano.17.41 Keywords: cellular uptake; drug delivery; intracellular trafficking; nanomedicine; nanoparticles; tumor microenvironment; Nanomedicine is dedicated to the application of nanotechnology in the medical field. Nanosized materials are intended for delivering drugs to their

Influence of surface characteristics on the in vitro stability and cell uptake of nanoliposomes for brain delivery

• Dushko Shalabalija,
• Ljubica Mihailova,
• Nikola Geskovski,
• Andreas Zimmer,
• Otmar Geiss,
• Sabrina Gioria,
• Diletta Scaccabarozzi and
• Marija Glavas Dodov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2026, 17, 139–158, doi:10.3762/bjnano.17.9

• the internalization pathway and intracellular trafficking [17]. In contrast, this study focuses on the evolution of physicochemical and surface properties of NLs in biorelevant media depending on the different amount of PEG onto NLs surface, thus correlating these findings with the cell

• cell recognition, cell membrane adhesion and interactions, the internalization mechanisms, as well as the intracellular trafficking of nanosystems since it gives them new biological identity [39]. The impact of PC on particle–cell interactions varies based on particle properties and cellular components

Mechanistic insights into endosomal escape by sodium oleate-modified liposomes

• Ebrahim Sadaqa,
• Satrialdi,
• Fransiska Kurniawan and
• Diky Mudhakir

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 1667–1685, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.131

• endosomal escape has emerged as a crucial step in the intracellular trafficking process, essential for achieving successful cytosolic delivery and realizing the full therapeutic potential of liposomal systems [4]. To address the formidable challenge of endosomal entrapment, several strategies have been

• approaches in unraveling the complex mechanisms of intracellular trafficking. Further in vivo validation is necessary to confirm the efficacy of SO in various therapeutic nanotherapies, potentially broadening its application in nanomedicine. This work provides a robust framework for the rational design of

Antibody-conjugated nanoparticles for target-specific drug delivery of chemotherapeutics

• Mamta Kumari,
• Amitabha Acharya and
• Praveen Thaggikuppe Krishnamurthy

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 912–926, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.75

• smaller when proteins were bound to NPs [81]. Xiao et al. functionalized Tf onto the surface of PEGylated polystyrene NPs to evaluate the effect of the protein corona on blood–brain barrier transcytosis, endocytosis, and intracellular trafficking. They demonstrated that Tf-NPs completely lost their

The steep road to nonviral nanomedicines: Frequent challenges and culprits in designing nanoparticles for gene therapy

• Yao Yao,
• Yeongun Ko,
• Grant Grasman,
• Jeffery E. Raymond and
• Joerg Lahann

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 351–361, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.30

• intracellular trafficking [23]. In the absence of imaging flow cytometry, a two-pronged approach (high-resolution imaging plus a separate high-throughput analysis) is recommended to ensure the highest confidence in the result. Our literature assessment also revealed an increasing preference among the community

Nanotechnology – a robust tool for fighting the challenges of drug resistance in non-small cell lung cancer

• Filip Gorachinov,
• Fatima Mraiche,
• Diala Alhaj Moustafa,
• Ola Hishari,
• Yomna Ismail,
• Jensa Joseph,
• Maja Simonoska Crcarevska,
• Marija Glavas Dodov,
• Nikola Geskovski and
• Katerina Goracinova

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 240–261, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.23

• , defective intracellular trafficking of the HER2 antibody–drug conjugates, masking of the HER2 epitope, high rate of recycling, and the effect of upregulated drug efflux pumps, may be resolved by novel nanomedicines designed to interact with the tumor cells in a variety of ways with the goal of overcoming

• , they play an important role in cancer development [139][140]. However, efficacy or functional delivery cannot be predicted by solely considering the biodistribution. Endothelial transcytosis and improved tropism to tumor tissue/cells, internalization rate, intracellular trafficking, and endosomal

Targeting strategies for improving the efficacy of nanomedicine in oncology

• Gonzalo Villaverde and
• Alejandro Baeza

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2019, 10, 168–181, doi:10.3762/bjnano.10.16

• targeting cellular–intracellular trafficking Besides tissue accumulation, the preferential internalization in tumoral cells is the main goal to improve the efficacy of a drug. Endosomal scape and nanocarrier vectorization to one specific organelle may be essential for improving the therapeutic effect at low

• concentrations, as has been described above. The combination of subcellular targeting agents that allow for endosomal scape and regulate the intracellular trafficking and a targeting agent directed to cell membrane receptors is a promising strategy for increasing the efficacy of treatments. The presence of both

Involvement of two uptake mechanisms of gold and iron oxide nanoparticles in a co-exposure scenario using mouse macrophages

• Dimitri Vanhecke,
• Dagmar A. Kuhn,
• Dorleta Jimenez de Aberasturi,
• Sandor Balog,
• Ana Milosevic,
• Dominic Urban,
• Diana Peckys,
• Niels de Jonge,
• Wolfgang J. Parak,
• Alke Petri-Fink and
• Barbara Rothen-Rutishauser

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 2396–2409, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.239

• diagnostic and therapeutic applications [4]. There is convincing evidence that the physico-chemical properties of NPs, such as size, shape, material, and surface functionalization, strongly influence uptake and intracellular trafficking of NPs [5][6][7]. The uptake of NPs occurs via endocytotic pathways

Imaging the intracellular degradation of biodegradable polymer nanoparticles

• Anne-Kathrin Barthel,
• Martin Dass,
• Melanie Dröge,
• Jens-Michael Cramer,
• Daniela Baumann,
• Markus Urban,
• Katharina Landfester,
• Volker Mailänder and
• Ingo Lieberwirth

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1905–1917, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.201

• data from these images. Understanding the dynamics of degradation and the intracellular trafficking might provide information as to whether these vehicles are suitable for intracellular drug delivery. Furthermore, detailed information about the cellular processes as seen from morphological examinations

The surface properties of nanoparticles determine the agglomeration state and the size of the particles under physiological conditions

• Christoph Bantz,
• Olga Koshkina,
• Thomas Lang,
• Hans-Joachim Galla,
• C. James Kirkpatrick,
• Roland H. Stauber and
• Michael Maskos

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1774–1786, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.188

• furthermore induce agglomeration. This affects particle characteristics especially with respect to particle size and size distribution, which can influence the biodistribution, circulation time, intracellular trafficking, clearance or uptake mechanism [17]. Within this paper, we present the size

Different endocytotic uptake mechanisms for nanoparticles in epithelial cells and macrophages

• Dagmar A. Kuhn,
• Dimitri Vanhecke,
• Benjamin Michen,
• Fabian Blank,
• Peter Gehr,
• Alke Petri-Fink and
• Barbara Rothen-Rutishauser

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1625–1636, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.174

• high amounts of cholesterol [27]. The protein which gives shape and structure in caveolin-mediated endocytosis is caveolin-1, a dimeric protein which binds cholesterol onto the cellular surface for uptake and intracellular trafficking (lipid homeostasis) [28]. Also located at the site of lipid rafts is

In vitro interaction of colloidal nanoparticles with mammalian cells: What have we learned thus far?

• Moritz Nazarenus,
• Qian Zhang,
• Mahmoud G. Soliman,
• Pablo del Pino,
• Beatriz Pelaz,
• Susana Carregal-Romero,
• Joanna Rejman,
• Barbara Rothen-Rutishauser,
• Martin J. D. Clift,
• Reinhard Zellner,
• G. Ulrich Nienhaus,
• James B. Delehanty,
• Igor L. Medintz and
• Wolfgang J. Parak

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1477–1490, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.161

• . [41], cf. Figure 3), all of them have in common that the NPs are surrounded by membrane. Pinching-off of the membrane-surrounded NPs from the cell plasma membrane leaves the NPs incorporated into intracellular vesicles. These vesicles undergo a cascade of intracellular trafficking steps passing the