Polymer Vesicles: Modular Platforms for Cancer Theranostics

Abstract

As an emerging field that is receiving an increasing amount of interest, theranostics is becoming increasingly important in the field of nanomedicine. Among the various smart platforms that have been proposed for use in theranostics, polymer vesicles (or polymersomes) are among the most promising candidates for integration of designated functionalities and modalities. Here, a brief summary of typical theranostic platforms is presented with a focus on modular polymer vesicles. To highlight modularity, the different methodologies for designing therapeutic and diagnostic modules are classified and current examples of theranostic vesicles that excel in both performance and design principle are provided. Finally, future prospects for theranostic polymer vesicles that can be readily prepared with functional modules are proposed. Overall, theranostic polymer vesicles with modular modalities and functions are more promising in nanomedicine than simply being "over-engineered".

Biodegradable Antibacterial Polymeric Nanosystems: A New Hope to Cope with Multidrug‐Resistant Bacteria

“…Polymer vesicles (also known as polymersomes) are composed of amphiphilic diblock copolymers, which self‐assemble into bilayer structures, typically in aqueous solution, with various shapes and sizes . In literature, the applications of polymer vesicles have been extended in the biomedical field for drug/gene delivery, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), cell mimicking and theranostics platforms .…”

“…Polymer vesicles (also known as polymersomes) are composed of amphiphilic diblock copolymers, which self‐assemble into bilayer structures, typically in aqueous solution, with various shapes and sizes . In literature, the applications of polymer vesicles have been extended in the biomedical field for drug/gene delivery, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), cell mimicking and theranostics platforms . A variety of antibacterial agents, such as silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles, and antibiotics, can be readily loaded into the polymer vesicles for the treatment of bacterial infection .…”

Activatable molecular agents for cancer theranostics

“…So far, great efforts have been devoted to the development of theranostic agents. [4][5][6][7][8] There are two main kinds of strategies. One is to use a chemical synthesis method.…”

Adaptive Polymersome and Micelle Morphologies in Anticancer Nanomedicine: From Design Rationale to Fabrication and Proof‐of‐Concept Studies

“…[14][15][16] BCP membranes display the same amphiphilic character as lipids but are more stable and chemically versatile. The capacity of synthetic BCP vesicles ("polymersomes") to embody a number of key properties such as compartmentalization and discretization have been established.…”