Biomedical Aspects of Drug Targeting

This work includes the general principles of drug targeting, focusing on the cardiovascular system, tumour targeting, brain targeting, miscellaneous targeting and novel approaches for targeting (new horizons). It is designed in a course-like fashion: from more general and simple to more specific and complex material. This framework should help even unfamiliar readers to learn new topics and navigate in the text. Although the book is aimed primarily at industrial and academic pharmacologists and drug discovery researchers, its design will make the book useful for advanced level graduate students. The book focuses on ligand-mediated drug targeting strategies, with additional chapters on general aspects of drug delivery that are of paramount importance in drug targeting (biological barriers, stealth technologies). Included are topics on targeting of genetic materials important in the biomedical context of the ligand-mediated targeting.

Table of Contents:
Section 1: General Principles of Drug Targeting.- 1 Strategies and Means for Drug Targeting: An Overview.- 2 Biological Barriers for Drug Targeting.- Section 2: Cardiovascular Targeting.- 3 Targeting the Pathological Myocardium.- 4 Targeting Atherosclerotic Plaques.- 5 Thrombus Targeting of Plasminogen Activators and Anticoagulants.- 6 Tissue-Specific Pharmacodelivery and Overcoming Key Cell Barriers in Vivo: Vascular Targeting of Calveolae.- 7 Targeting Pulmonary Endothelium.- 8 Targeting Inflammation.- 9 Intravascular Re-Targeting of Viral Vectors.- Section 3: Tumor Targeting.- 10 Polymer-Drug Conjugates: Targeting Cancer.- 11 Enhanced Permeability and Retention (EPR) Effect: Basis for Drug Targeting to Tumor.- 12 Ligand-Directed Destruction of Tumor Vasculature.- 13 Tumor Necrosis Treatment and Imaging of Solid Tumors.- 14 Targeted Apoptosis: Antibodies Linked to Rna Damaging Agents.- 15 Immunotoxins and Antibody-Drug Conjugates for Cancer Treatment.- Section 4: Targeting to Brain.- 16 Blood-Brain Barrier Transport and Drug Targeting to the Brain.- 17 LDL-Receptor Mediated Drug Targeting to Malignant Tumors in the Brain.- 18 Targeting Brain Trauma and Stroke.- 19 Targeting Drugs Into the Central Nervous System.- Section 5: Miscellaneous, New Horizons in Targeting.- 20 Strategies for Targeting Infection.- 21 Anti-HIV Immunotoxins.- 22 Ligand-Mediated Gastrointestinal Targeting.- 23 Transmembrane Targeting of Dna with Membrane Active Peptides.- 24 Polymersomes: A New Platform for Drug Targeting.- 25 Targeting Mitochondria.