Advances in Targeted Breast Cancer Therapy

Abstract

Recent advances in drug design have led to the development of new small molecular weight chemotherapeutic agents, peptides, proteins, and nucleic acid molecules that can be used for treatment of breast cancer. However, transformation of these drug candidates into actual therapies with well-defined dosing regimens remains a significant challenge due to the limited ability to selectively deliver these drug molecules into the cytoplasm of breast cancer cells. In this article, we describe the use of liposomes, dendrimers, and polymeric micelles as carriers that can be used for delivery of anticancer drugs and their potential in breast cancer therapy. We also summarize the challenges facing the development of nucleic acid–based therapies.