Strategies to improve intracellular drug delivery by targeted liposomes

Abstract

Biotechnological advances increased the number of novel macromolecular drugs and new drug targets. The latter are mostly found intracellular. Unfortunately, most of the new macromolecular drugs rely on drug delivery tools for their intracellular delivery because their unfavourable physicochemical properties hamper them to cross cellular barriers, like the plasma and endosomal membranes.

The work described in this thesis aims to improve intracellular drug delivery by applying targeted liposome systems. Two different approaches (cell-penetrating peptides and photochemical internalization) to improve delivery of (targeted) liposomal contens into the cytoplasm were evaluated. In addition, the use of targeted liposomes for the intracellular delivery of boron-containing compounds to improve boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) was assessed.