Novel strategies for managing pancreatic cancer

Table 1 Desired characteristics for a nanoparticle drug-delivery platform

Desired characteristic	Comments
Inherently non-toxic materials and degradation products	The initial material selection should be based on non-toxic materials especially with an aim toward human health care
Small size (10–200 nm)	There is not a particular size that seems most efficacious, particularly based on in vivo studies. This is the range of particle diameters that have proven most effective for a wide variety of delivery systems. Also of note is the debate around the influence of particle shape[83]
Encapsulation of active agent	To be effective, the active agent must be encapsulated within the nanoparticle vehicle. Surface decoration (i.e., adsorption) will often be effective in vitro but falls short for in vivo studies because of the reticulum endoplasmic systems in vivo
Colloidally stable in physiological conditions	The nanoparticle vehicle and surface functionalization must resist agglomeration for the solution pH values, ionic strength, macromolecular interactions, and temperature encountered in the physiological environment
Clearance mechanism	The nanoparticle vehicle must have a ready clearance mechanism to avoid the cumulative and/or systemic effects of the drug-laden particles
Long clearance times	Resistance to agglomeration and other effects that remove the nanoparticle-encapsulated drug from the patient must be avoided to promote long circulation times in the circulatory system for as many of the nanoparticles to find and sequester in the cancer cells as possible
Biologically or extrinsically controlled release of therapeutic agents	There should be a trigger mechanism such as the acidic pH within the tumor or during endosome maturation designed into the nanoparticle platform to ensure the release of the encapsulated drug into the targeted tissue
Can be targeted to cell/tissue of choice	The nanoparticle platform should be capable of surface bioconjugation to target molecules for the specific cancer to provide the greatest uptake with the lesions and fewest least side effects with healthy tissue

Reprinted with permission from [71]. Copyright 2010 American Chemical Society.