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8717649 
Journal Article 
Active targeting strategies using biological ligands for nanoparticle drug delivery systems 
Yoo, J; Park, C; Yi, G; Lee, D; Koo, H 
2019 
Yes 
Cancers
ISSN: 2072-6694 
11 
5 
English 
Targeting nanoparticle (NP) carriers to sites of disease is critical for their successful use as drug delivery systems. Along with optimization of physicochemical properties, researchers have focused on surface modification of NPs with biological ligands. Such ligands can bind specific receptors on the surface of target cells. Furthermore, biological ligands can facilitate uptake of modified NPs, which is referred to as ‘active targeting’ of NPs. In this review, we discuss recent applications of biological ligands including proteins, polysaccharides, aptamers, peptides, and small molecules for NP-mediated drug delivery. We prioritized studies that have demonstrated targeting in animals over in vitro studies. We expect that this review will assist biomedical researchers working with NPs for drug delivery and imaging. 2019, MDPI AG. All rights reserved. 
Active targeting; Biodistribution; Drug delivery; Nanoparticle; Tumor targeting