Purpose Cancer is one of the leading causes of death, and thus, the scientific community has but great efforts to improve cancer management. Among the major challenges in cancer management is development of agents that can be used for early diagnosis and effective therapy. Conventional cancer management frequently lacks accurate tools for detection of early tumors and has an associated risk of serious side effects of chemotherapeutics. The need to optimize therapeutic ratio as the difference with which a treatment affects cancer cells versus healthy tissues lead to idea that it is needful to have a treatment that could act a the “magic bullet”—recognize cancer cells only. Nanoparticle platforms offer a variety of potentially efficient solutions for development of targeted agents that can be exploited for cancer diagnosis and treatment. There are two ways by which targeting of nanoparticles can be achieved, namely passive and active targeting. Passive targeting allows for the efficient localization of nanoparticles within the tumor microenvironment. Active targeting facilitates the active uptake of nanoparticles by the tumor cells themselves. Methods Relevant English electronic databases and scientifically published original articles and reviews were systematically searched for the purpose of this review. Results In this report, we present a comprehensive review of literatures focusing on the active targeting of nanoparticles to cancer cells, including antibody and antibody fragment-based targeting, antigen-based targeting, aptamer-based targeting, as well as ligand-based targeting. Conclusion To date, the optimum targeting strategy has not yet been announced, each has its own advantages and disadvantages even though a number of them have found their way for clinical application. Perhaps, a combination of strategies can be employed to improve the precision of drug delivery, paving the way for a more effective personalized therapy.

Abstract.Cancer remains the one of the most common causes of mortality in humans; thus, cancer treatment is currently a major focus of investigation. Researchers worldwide have been searching for the optimal treatment (the 'magic bullet') that will selectively target cancer, without afflicting significant morbidity. Recent advances in cancer nanotechnology have raised exciting opportunities for specific drug delivery by an emerging class of nanotherapeutics that may be targeted to neoplastic cells, thereby offering a major advantage over conventional chemotherapeutic agents. There are two ways by which targeting of nanoparticles may be achieved, namely passive and active targeting. The aim of this study was to provide a comprehensive review of the literature focusing on passive targeting.

Summary Serum levels of total and specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) have been determined by radioimmunoassays in sixty‐nine allergic subjects. The forty‐one subjects with mild symptoms were the most difficult to diagnose, since nine had IgE levels less than 50 U/ml and nineteen had no detectable specific IgE antibodies. Samples of nasal secretions were collected from these nineteen subjects and five were found to have specific IgE antibodies, and in a further eight increased amounts of total IgE. The possibility of locally produced IgE antibodies should therefore be considered when using in vitro tests to diagnose mild or recently acquired allergies, especially when serum IgE levels are less than 50 U/ml.

No abstract

In the course of developing a planned treatment by hyposensitization, still undergoing clinical trials, a system was devised which might be used in assessing respiratory allergies. The sensitivity of the patient assessed by skin, topical nasal instillation and inhalation tests was related to the appearance of IgE-staining cells in the nasal secretion and sputum after a successful challenge test, and the correlation of IgE in the serum and nasal fluid.The presence of increased eosinophil cell content and the demonstration of IgE in the nasal secretion or sputum associated with a positive clinical response after the challenge test, confirmed the sensitivity to a particular allergen. Raised levels of IgE in the serum of allergic patients corresponded to the size of the skin test reactions but not necessarily to the quantity of IgE appearing in the nasal fluid or sputum.