The road ahead for applications of mechanics in drug delivery

Abstract

From vaccination to cancer treatment, controlled drug delivery systems have shown great promise across a wide range of therapies. Understanding the mechanics of advanced drug delivery systems is essential to aid in the design of better treatments for patients. Mechanics has particularly emerged as a key area intersecting engineering and drug delivery. Most drug delivery systems work in direct interaction with the body (e. g. vasculature, GI tract). In this perspective, we focus on three areas highlighting the importance of mechanics for next-generation drug delivery applications. We identify challenges and opportunities for innovation. The areas explored include micro/nano mechanics, gastrointestinal mechanics, and vascular mechanics for next generation drug delivery systems and organoids. First, we review applications of micro/nano technology in fabrication of advanced drug delivery systems. We specifically highlight opportunities for using computational mechanics in drug delivery in micro/nano scales. Second, we include a discussion on mechanical considerations for the design of next-generation cancer therapeutics, drug discovery systems and cell therapy platforms. Finally, we discuss the importance of a detailed understanding of gastrointestinal mechanics in designing orally administered drug delivery systems. Taken together, we highlight areas of mechanics that could be important frontiers for innovation across length scales, disease models and organ systems for advanced therapeutics.